Reusable Sanitary Pad, Nigeria

Project name: Reusable Sanitary Pad

Project location: Nigeria

URL Facebook: fb.me/benedictauweru

URL Facebook: fb.me/girlshealthandeducationfoundation

URL Twitter: @BennyYem

Project description:

Menstruation, also known as a period or monthly, is the regular discharge of blood and mucosal tissue from the inner lining of the uterus through the vagina. Sanitary pad/towel is an absorbent pad/item worn by women to absorb menstrual blood. The disposable sanitary pad is far and away the most widely used method of menstrual management. 
Disposable pads had their start with nurses using wood pulp bandages to catch their menstrual flow, creating a pad that was made from easily obtainable materials and inexpensive enough to throw away after use. 
Close to 20 billion sanitary napkins, tampons and applicators are dumped into North American landfills every year.  When wrapped in plastic bags, feminine hygiene waste can take centuries to biodegrade. The average woman uses over 16,800 sanitary pads over her lifetime, leaving behind residue far beyond her lifespan.
Manufacturers of tampons and sanitary pads are not required to disclose the ingredients used in their products also one conventional sanitary pad contains the equivalent of about four plastic bags. Most items that come in constant contact with your skin will end up in your bloodstream and distributed throughout your body. The fiber in the absorbent pads can cause cervical cancer. Sanitary pads are not purely made of cotton but they’re made of cellulose gel. 
The dioxin present in the menstrual pads can cause ovarian cancer. 
A UNESCO report estimates that one in ten girls in Sub-Saharan Africa misses school during their menstrual cycle.  By some estimates, this equals as much as twenty percent of a given school year. My team and I have donated disposable sanitary pads to secondary school girls in my community (Obiaruku) and communities in other Local Govt Areas other than mine impacting over 3,000 girls. We found however this not to be sustainable and as such came up with the reusable sanitary pads.
Unlike disposable pads, our reusable sanitary pads are made from body and ECO FRIENDLY cloths, CHEMICAL FREE, COST EFFECTIVE and as such healthier than the conventional disposable pads. This however contributes positively to climate as our product is BIODEGRADABLE.

Goal and purpose of the project:

To improve the rural girl education by providing a healthy, eco friendly and sustainable menstrual product.

Motivation of the applicant / applicant team:

Provision of access to education for girls in grassroot communities by increasing accessibility to sanitary products.
Educating the girl child translates to better health for the future generation,increases the country's labour force and directly affecting the Nation's economy. This project also contributes positively to tackle the global climate change problem.

Use of prize money:

Produce more reusable sanitary pads for rural girls.
Provision of stipend for volunteers as motivation to impact more rural girls.
Organize more projects to build up and impact rural girls.