Advancing Menstrual Health and Sexual and Reproductive Health through Awareness, Education, and Microenterprise

Girls’ lives are being disrupted by their periods. In Africa, girls can miss between 3-5 days of school each month if they don’t have menstrual pads. This causes them to fall behind academically and socially, sometimes dropping out altogether. Some girls resort to using unsafe substitutes for pads, like mattress filling, leaves or dirty cloth. Some resort to risky behaviors like transactional sex to pay for essential items, such as menstrual pads, increasing their vulnerability to violence and compromising their health. Our mission is to support Africa’s most vulnerable girls and young women by providing reusable menstrual pads in conjunction with sexual and reproductive health education and life skills workshops. It’s a sustainable and comprehensive solution we refer to as the Huru System.