WEpads - sustainable sanitary pads for young women in South Africa

WEpads stands for strengthening the independence of women in Africa Currently about 1/3 of the schoolgirls in South Africa have a considerable disadvantage in education because they cannot go to school during their period. The reason for this is depressing: there is simply no money and no access to feminine hygiene products. This problem is called "period poverty". We learned about this problem during an excursion to South Africa with the University of Wuppertal. 

We asked ourselves the question: “What would our life look like today if we had not been able to participate in 25% of our school time?” 

 

It became clear to us: We would like to change this and we want to do so within the framework of Enactus Wuppertal.

Our vision is to fight "Period Poverty" in Africa. 

We believe that education about menstruation, hygiene, as well as the provision of inexpensive products, are essential factors. 

 

After some initial experience with our own prototypes, we found that this global problem can be solved best with a strong network. Together with our partners in South Africa and India, we are working on a sustainable long-term solution. 

 

We are currently testing cost-effective, biodegradable pads based on the successful example from India and in cooperation with Arunachalam Muruganantham. His invention of a simple machine for the production of these pads became famous through the move "Period. End of sentence". If we manage to implement this technology in South Africa, we can provide a cost-effective and ecological solution.

To further explore and implement our project, we need seed capital. If you too would like to help the girls and women in South Africa, we would be very happy about your support! 
 

Our cooperation partners: 

Local experts: http://kusasalethugroup.com/about/ & http://ilisocaresocietyproject.org.za/

Palesa Pads: https://www.palesapads.com/ 

Enactus Wuppertal: https://enactus.de/wuppertal/