ChuChu Pads:

ChuChu Pads is a startup in Ghana that produces and sells ecofriendly reusable sanitary pads for girls and women in order to prevent period poverty.

According to UNICEF, a pack of sanitary pads cost an average of $1.30, even as an estimated 44% of Nigeria's population (87 million) lives in extreme poverty earning less than $1.90 per day. Period Poverty is not far-fetched from West Africa to East Africa and other regions of the continent; more than 800 million women and girls menstruate worldwide each day, yet 500 million of those women have no access to sanitary pads. 3.4% of women in African prisons are forced to go through their monthly periods without sanitary pads. Women and girls with special needs and disabilities disproportionately do not have access to affordable pads. The ChuChu pads team interviewed people from countries that cut across west Africa, central Africa and east Africa. Our findings showed that most of these girls and women have resorted to alternatives such as rags, socks, tissues and re-washing synthetic pads. These alternatives pose health problems to the users, such as infections. so, we started manufacturing reusable sanitary pads that would be eco-friendly, affordable, comfortable and durable. To help curb the rapid climate change plaguing the continent now, we decided to use laboratory-certified fabrics in the production of the pads because these materials take a short time to decay, unlike synthetic pads. We produce these pads and sell them directly to the users; for those who cannot afford our reusable pads, our B2B model caters to them to ensure they have them. During a girl-to-girl talk about the menstrual cycle with some girls in a Ghanaian community in the last few months, they were continuously lamenting how the prices of sanitary pads have continued to skyrocket without coming down. They admitted that if they had an alternative to settle for in terms of pricing and durability, that would go a long way to help them. If women and girls can access durable, quality and affordable pads, it would help them maintain better hygiene, save costs, attend to their daily activities effectively, and stay in school. Our solution meets this need,which caters for the social impact of the startup.Another part to consider is the ripple effect this innovation would have on communities in terms of economic impact. The production of sanitary pads would primarily create employment for women and youth. From manufacturing, distributing, and Wholesale to retailing the pads, we would need an entire product distribution channel. If more people are employed, they can empower their families and live better lives. Environmentally, reusable sanitary pads are safe, easy to dispose and highly biodegradable due to the types of materials they are made of. Hence, they do not pose any harm to the environment.

Our solution is are reusable, affordable and eco-friendly sanitary pads which contain the top most layer made of a soft and breathable fabric which enables the fluid to be wicked away fast from the user. The middle super absorbent core makes it easier to retain fluid for a long time. Lastly, the bottom waterproof layer made from PUL fabric helps to prevent leakage and is also breathable.

How it is used: The user wears the pad in the underpants like the normal synthetic pad, while strapping the hook and line below the pad wings. When the pad is taken off, it is washed immediately or raised and kept in a waterproof bag (Wet bag) where it stays till the user cleans it.

The girls and women in rural communities are underserved because the synthetic pads which are currently on the market are far too expensive and inaccessible for these girls and women. So, most of them have settled on using rags, re-washing synthetic pads, use of old pieces of cloth which makes them suffer terrible infection. The very minute part of the population who have limited access to synthetic pads have problem disposing them properly and so they pollute the environment. As a health startup, we have our core values wrapped around the three pillars of a project sustainability– people, planet and profit. Our major stakeholders are girls and women of menstruating age. We have factored in adequate measures to ensure that the wellbeing and needs of our stakeholders are taken care of. By producing affordable reusable pads that are comfy, cost-friendly and easily accessible to low-income women in sub-saharan Africa, we are confident that females will no longer shy away from their daily activities such as education, jobs and social functions during their menstrual cycles. The pads are made from recycled plastics and biodegradable fabrics;thereby, making them more eco-friendly. They are easy to dispose of and have no harmful effects on the environment.

My team consists of volunteers who have a background with the problem we are solving. They have suffered the problem themselves or lived/live in communities where girls and women continue to suffer this problem. Given our diverse team of people who are business consultants with years of expertise in a prestigious institution like Ashesi university, and also people and volunteers with background in STEM, health, design thinking and research, we are already set for success.

We have done adequate research and are continuosly speaking with our users to grasp the exact concept they need in our product. We reveal each version of the product to selected users for insights.

Our solution is innovative in terms of the ultra-modern design, which is an improved version of the product. We introduced the hook and line feature in the pads, to solve the problem of flipping pads when user puts them on.

Also, we found a better way to manage the waste that comes from the production of these pads. We are recycling the fabric waste to useful products like eco-friendly makeup face wipes, bangles, scrunchies Patch Quilt.

People : We plan to provide this sustainable menstrual hygiene solution for at least 1000 girls and women in rural communities through outreaches, events and retailers. This mean at least these girls and women would now be able to stay in school, thereby managing truancy due to improper menstrual hygiene solutions.

Planet: We plan to devise in a plan where users/customers would give up their old pads to us for recycling to prevent our pads from ending up in the land fill after the 1 year period of use.

Economy: We plan to employ at least 25 more people, of which we are currently hiring 10 people from the rural communities to roll out our door to door outreach program. This would empower young people who do not have access to formal education. Thereby, making them strive for a better life.

The core technology that powers production for us are sewing machine, pad template cutters. 

The sewing machines are used to sew and knit the pads together after the pad cutter machine trims the fabric fed to it to desired shape.

I will be launching my solution shortly , and I plan to reach at least 1000 girls and women before the end of 2024.

The major barrier in our plans is business registration. Since, we have international members on our team, they are certain laws that are unfavourable to them while setting up a business. However, we are currently putting up measures  to curb this issue.

African Impact Initiative: They are providing funding and an opportunity to travel to Rwanda and Canada to network with investors, partners and vendors who would help to upscale the business.

Ashesi Entrepreneurship center provides us with consultancy services and funding, and also assistance with registration.

Ford foundation: Funding to set up outreaches

Coca-cola foundation: Funding to roll out 6 months education facility on menstrual health in rural areas.

We intend to fund our work by selling the pads directly to customers. For users who do not have the resources to purchase our pads, we get donors and social impact companies to pay on behalf of them. Also, organizations will pay us to provide menstrual health workshop and facilities to educate young girls and women. Partnerships with social impact organizations such as UNICEF, Mastercard etc will bring in long term financial sustainability to us.