MakaPads

‘MAKA’ means ‘home’ and is an acronym for Menstruation Administration Knowledge Affordability.
Thanks to distribution through village shops and a lower price point compared to corporate competitors, MakaPads are more readily available and affordable to rural communities.
The enterprise has reached over 700 girls with their product.
About 55,000 MakaPads have been sold to date.
MakaPads are 95% biodegradable.

Key Features

MakaPads offers biodegradable sanitary towels made from papyrus and recycled paper to rural communities. MakaPads are manufactured locally and sterilized naturally via the sun’s UV light.

Social Impact

Many African girls miss school during their period, which can be the first step that leads to dropping out of school altogether. Education, however, is vital to development: educated girls have fewer children, instead spending the money they earn on health, education, and nutrition for their families. Sanitary pads exist, but they are costly. Instead, many girls revert to putting rags in their underwear during their period. And when sanitary pads are thrown into pit toilets, they clog up the system. IMPACC MakaPads Ltd. produces absorbent pads from papyrus and recycled paper. It can be manufactured locally, sterilized via the sun’s UV light, and sold cheaply. It doesn’t clog up pit latrines as much as ordinary pads, and empowers girls to go to school all year round.

Future Plans

The plan is to create a franchise network of local production facilities with local distribution in order to create local jobs and keep costs down. We have started with two new production hubs in 2020 and will further expand in 2021.

Main Target Group

Women and girls of menstruating age in poor rural areas that don’t currently have access to sanitary pads. Sometimes buyers are male heads of households.