As the cost of sanitary napkins continues to rise, if you are new to the world of reusable menstruation pads, then get used to the new standard.
A young woman from Ghana created a reusable sanitary pad to address the menstrual health and hygiene needs of low-income group earners in the nation as a result of the rise in the cost of disposable sanitary napkins.
Most women in rural areas cannot afford disposable pads to regulate their menstrual cycles because of their high cost.
To stop the flow of menstrual blood, most women in rural areas prefer to use cotton and rags as underwear. But as technology advances, there is a shift in the preferences for such things among modern Ghanaian women with regard to hygienic issues.
Reusable pads, however, have been proved to have no negative effects on human health or the environment. Therefore, its use is highly recommended for menstrual management among all who can’t afford the disposable napkin pads.
The Evolution of the Reusable Eco-Period Pad
The CEO of ECO-ME Africa, the company that makes the reusable sanitary pads ECO-PERIOD, Mrs. Amdia Abdel Latif, claimed that while performing her national service at Nerebehin in the Atwima Nwabiagya district, she became aware of the difficulties faced by girls from low-income groups.
Girls in her class were absent while they were having their periods, she noticed.
She had to purchase them sanitary pads with her meager allowances.
Given that roughly half of the kids at the school are female, however, this strategy was unable to retain them in class.
Amdia conducted numerous outreach initiatives to influence parents’ perceptions of their female wards’ needs and the significance of providing them with menstrual pads at such times.
As a result, she came up with a novel solution to the monthly discharge problems faced by rural women of school age.
She made the decision to do research on the best ways to assist these rural poor people at this point in their lives.
She claimed that it took her four years to develop the Eco-Period Reusable Sanitary Pads in order to meet the demands.
The first commercial manufacturing started in the middle of 2022 once all the necessary government certifications were obtained.
Her production facility is located in the Nerebehin neighborhood of Atwima Nwabiagya.
She and her team have experienced many difficulties along the way, but they are now in possession of the finished product, despite the fact that it has not been simple for them.
Amdia thinks the device would provide some respite for rural poor ladies who cannot afford to buy disposable pads each month to alleviate the problem.
The reusable pad is a one-of-a-kind product with special features that satisfies the necessary requirement.
In comparison to currently available disposable pads, the Eco Period reusable sanitary pad is chemical-free, ultra-thin, and absorbent.
Amdia wanted to empower women and girls in Ghana and all of Africa by supplying them with high-quality, reasonably priced menstrual products.
This, she claimed, would promote school attendance and alter the socioeconomic circumstances of the intended population.
She claimed that the synthetic, bleached materials used to make most of the pads that women use now expose them to harm over time.
To determine if Ghanaians would embrace this idea required continual sensitization to pique their interest in reusable pads and dispel misconceptions about their usage.
The business can create 2,000 pads each month in all sizes for the Ghanaian market and the global market via UNICEF.
Currently, 10 Ghanaians are employed by the company.
Reusable pad history
A nurse in France created the first pad out of a bandage made of wood pulp, and in 1888, industrial producers adapted the idea and put it into practice.
Source: Richmond Frimpong at Oyerepafmonline.com