In early December 2019, the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion announced the scrapping of Value Added Tax (VAT) on sanitary pads. The move was widely welcomed as it was meant to facilitate affordability and accessibility of the pads. Two months later, it was discovered that despite the waiver, consumers were still paying VAT and the price remained unchanged and even increased in some cases, an article published by this paper states. Many girls and women find it difficult to buy pads every month. And as if pain and discomfort during menstruation are not enough, they are also affected by stigma, among other things. Many girls do not have access to period products, and in order to cope with the menstrual flow, some use rags or old clothing. They sometimes use unsafe materials which could even cause illnesses or infections. Liliane Uwineza and Ndinda Christian, the founders, after the interview. Photo/ Craish Bahizi Liliane Uwineza was drawn to this sad reality after interacting with girls, especially in rural areas, they opened up and told their heart-breaking stories. “Period poverty is real. Many girls can’t access pads as they are too costly. They cannot go to school, or do other daily activities because of this. It is easier for them to skip classes so that they don’t soil their clothes, or smell bad for others,” says Uwineza. “Some sanitary pads are too expensive for them. Some girls can even afford them but they are not ideal for a heavy flow,” she added. Uwineza, together with Christian Ndinda and Aimee Kwizera Kayijuka, decided to make Tamu Pads in January this year. It is a social enterprise which produces sanitary pads of great quality, also affordable. According to Ndinda, the main aim of the enterprise is to curb period poverty and provide the best quality sanitary pads that are affordable to everyone. Currently, the enterprise works hand-in-hand with women empowerment campaigns, district officials, and schools, so as to distribute the pads to vulnerable girls across the country. So far they have donated over 10,000 packages to girls in different parts of the country, especially in rural areas. Tamu Pads operates in Bugesera District, it has a team of 35 employees, where only four are men. It also works with community health workers after distributing the pads, to educate the girls on how to maintain proper hygiene during their period. How it started Last year, 33-year-old Ndinda had the idea to start up a community-based business. “I had many business ideas and it was hard for me to choose one to go with. Having had a conversation with my sisters and friends, I realised sanitary pads were a big problem for them and many others. The idea came like that, it didn’t take me too long to approach my colleagues, we then set up everything and even though challenges got in the way, it didn’t discourage us,” he says. Ndinda is also the brain behind the technology they use while manufacturing the sanitary pads, and he says they are super quality, which makes it comfortable for the user. Uwineza, 35, has worked with women empowerment NGOs for years. She realised that dropping out of school was on the rise among girls in rural areas, but she didn’t know the reason behind it. “After being approached by Ndinda, I was very happy that he had a good idea and of course it was something I thought was needed, so we started interacting with girls in the field. They shared their sad stories about period poverty. I didn’t know how big the problem was,” she says. “These girls go through a lot, dropping out of school, or poor school performance, because they lack menstrual hygiene materials. And it is understandable, how can you be comfortable when you fear that you will leak? That gave us motivation to do even better. I vowed to invest as much as I can for these girls to see their lives change for better,” Uwineza says. Breaking stigma and making boys part of the debate Uwineza says that stigma is a big part of the problem yet it’s rarely discussed. “Society thinks menstruation should not be talked about. I didn’t know it was an issue because I have never experienced period poverty, yet there is an element of shame when you can’t afford those products and so many other issues that need to be addressed. But we first need to talk about them,” she says. According to Ndinda, boys and men need to understand that they are involved in the fight. “They should also be involved. I am proud that I am a part of the menstrual debate now. As men, we are the ones to support women, to empower them, as this leads to the progress of the whole community development, instead of mocking them,” he says. Challenges and future plans The initiative hopes to look at girls out of school, and most importantly, put period products in schools where girls can access them at a very low price. They started with Fawe Girls School. The initiative is also looking for ways to expand the business and make products affordable in all country districts and abroad. One of their biggest challenges is that many people don’t understand why their pads are too thin as they are made out of modern technology, yet many are not aware of this technology. Another challenge is finances; as a start-up business they still need many resources, including raw materials to manufacture their products.
