She-Guard

Pakistan is entangled in various challenges including Period poverty, climate change, sanitary-waste mismanagement, etc., and if we deeply analyze then we will come to a conclusion that all the problematic dots are connected. Talking about menstruation is still considered taboo and gross. The products to manage this complete natural process of menstruation which are sanitary pads and problems emanating from synthetic plastic pads are some of the agents that are grossly avoided. Still, this single product is playing a big role in worsening the situation in all three mentioned areas. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, half of the population is comprised of women which is 48.76%, which makes 112 million women, out of which 67 million women menstruate, and 23 million women menstruate and manage their period using different unsafe products. Now, we can imagine how grave the problem is, if we see through a global lens where millions of women are deprived of period dignity and they even talk about the issues they facing out of shame and embarrassment. A majority of women cannot even afford rightful dignity products. Period poverty in Pakistan has become a critical and pervasive issue with a burgeoning population that poses a significant threat to the health, well-being, and dignity of women and girls across the country. Existing synthetic sanitary napkins comprised of 90% plastic and carcinogenic chemicals deteriorating women's reproductive and sexual health, adding the GHGs after burning, and, aggravating the solid waste issue. The major yet ignored factors behind soaring period poverty in Pakistan and all around the world are Lack of access to affordable and safe menstrual products, limited knowledge and awareness, financial constraints, inequality, cultural stigma and discrimination, and data and research gaps.

She-Guard is a green, innovative, and sustainable solution that replaces all such harmful, unsafe, and detrimental material with safe, eco-friendly, and biodegradable material for Sanitary Napkins. In addition, the skin top-sheet of She-Guard is treated with the extraction of herbs like Neem, Holy Basil, and Aloe Vera to make it safer for women's menstrual and reproductive health. Moreover, the banana fiber is used in the core because it is readily biodegradable and a natural absorbent. These biodegradable sanitary napkins are chemical and plastic-free, hence do not further add to harmful solid waste and pollution; but rather contribute to reducing the impact of climate change.

With the growth and smooth access to affordable She-Guard sanitary pads, millions of women (urban and rural equally) will be able to enjoy their innate rights, feel empowered, and beat absenteeism from educational institutes and workplaces. They will get to know how important menstrual hygiene management is. We are bringing a revolution in the reproductive and sexual health-tech sector and solid waste management, especially sanitary waste. Pakistan is self-sufficient in the cultivation of Banana crops. Almost 35000 tons of agro-waste is generated annually from only this crop. Therefore, we are making biodegradable and eco-friendly sanitary pads out of this and other agro-waste as well, which will not only cater to the issues of environment and solid waste but also to women's health.

In Pakistan, we're nurturing a sustainable solution to period poverty that's as green as the lush fields of our nation. Our vision is simple yet powerful: to ensure a sustainable way of managing periods and availing job opportunities to make the same. We're sowing the seeds of change by providing eco-friendly menstrual products, educating them through our awareness campaign “Shaoor: The Enlightenment” creating sustainable livelihoods for local women, safe spaces for employment opportunities, and planting trees for a greener, healthier Pakistan. Last but not least, we’re cultivating a future where every woman can manage her menstrual hygiene with dignity while protecting our “Only” planet.

Our direct target population are “women” regardless of urban and rural divide. Ironically, women are not only confronting period poverty but socio-economic marginalization is hauling them too. According to the World Bank report, the Population of Pakistan is 241.49 million, comprising almost half of them are women, it is sad to mention that out of 59% of menstruating women, only 29% have access to manage their periods by using various sanitary products. Moreover, this huge population is becoming a burden on the economy due to the absence of safe and decent job opportunities. According to the United Nations International Labor Organization, women's unemployment is 1.5 times more than men's. So, our all-in-one solution will sustainably cater to their grave problems by providing them with a period of dignity, safe, and decent job opportunities at all levels in the organization. In addition to this, besides addressing the most important problems, the organization can make an impact by contributing to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 particularly:

Goal 1. No Poverty

Goal 2. Zero Hunger

Goal 3. Good Health and Well-being

Goal 5. Gender Equality

Goal 6. Clean water and Sanitation

Goal 8. Decent work and Economic growth

Goal 9. Industry innovation and infrastructure

Goal 10. Reduce inequalities

Goal 12. Responsible consumption and production

Goal 13. Climate Action 

The team is led by Mehreen Raza. She is a Gender and Climate Award winner by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and The French Embassy, a social entrepreneur, a Forester, a Climate advocate, water, sanitation, and hygiene expert. She is a gold and silver medalist. She has won notable challenges sponsored by distinguished national and international organizations including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), The School of Leadership Foundation the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), The Asia Foundation, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the Embassy of France in Pakistan, UNDP, AFD, Ministry of Climate Change, and National Commission on Status of Women, Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. Her entire research post-graduation was on the acceptability, affordability, and eco-friendliness of reusable and disposable sanitary pads that are made with all-natural materials. She is vocal about Period poverty, plastic periods, menstrual hygiene management, sexual and reproductive health rights, women's education, empowerment, and their inclusion in decision-making.

Nayab is a post-graduate water scholar from the U.S.-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCAS-W), and pursuing a Ph.D. at Manchester University UK. Her entire focus is to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and provide sustainable solutions to the community without gender discrimination. She believes that climate challenges cannot be settled all of a sudden. It requires innovative approaches to be utilized. She believes in creating equal opportunities for women in leadership roles for an inclusive and dynamic society. Her focus is on three important pressing challenges faced by Pakistan in 21st century to fulfill long and short-term needs: namely food safety, climate change, and poverty.

 Shahab-ud-din is a young biotechnology and genetic engineer, and nanotechnologist and studying as a doctoral student at King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (Bangkok. He is interested in designing and coding while public speaking and entrepreneurship are his greatest interests. He wants to achieve professional excellence and utilize his capabilities for the possible contribution to his country and for human welfare.

Sikandar Bakht is an Environmental specialist and a mechanical engineer, with 4 years of field experience & expertise in manufacturing, design, operations and work-environment management. As an environmental specialist, he promotes contributing to climate resilience, environmental well-being, and solid waste management practices.

Zaryab, a passionate and creative individual who thrives on curiosity and continues learning with a background in Postharvest Technology, focusing on the critical stage of preserving and enhancing the quality of harvested crops. She is making the most of her experience of agriculture in She-Guard  

Noreen is the Assistant Director (Technical) in Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA)who has in depth knowledge of environmental science, policies, and laws. She is vocal about circular economy, sustainable consumption and development, and zero tolerance for plastic pollution. She is dedicating her expertise to She-Guard in every possible aspect.

As our project is in the pilot stage, we have distributed free samples to test and get feedback. however, we have distributed our product to almost 150 women. Below are some glimpses:

Note: Mostly girls and women are not comfortable capturing their pictures and post publicly.

She-Guard is committed to ensuring the maximum possible promising hygiene needs in terms of products and services in a novice and sustainable manner by keeping environmental health in consideration. Our novel approach provides the combined approaches including the material that is best for the body and eco-friendly, sustainable production processes, cotton-knitted technology, and fiber technology, mechanical engineering, biotechnology, and a unique business model. The holistic approach of cost and quality strategy is our priority to make this hygiene dignity affordable and accessible to all equally to maximum women. One of the interesting facts about the whole organizational hierarchy is that there are maximum women employees at each level.

• Innovative material and technology: We are basically using agro-waste in order to make the pads affordable uniformly and promote the circular economy too. The plastic and chemicals are replaced with cutting-edge material best for the body and environment and that mainly include banana fiber, cotton etc.
• Unique business model: Our business model surprisingly contains consultations from the experts. We will be adding one more feature of customization in which consumers will have the opportunity to put the specific demand to produce sanitary pads of specific requirements.
• Education and Advocacy: We go beyond product sales by actively engaging in educational initiatives. We provide information and resources to promote awareness about period dignity, menstrual hygiene, emphasizing eco-friendly and safe options and proper disposal methods. 

Following are the impact goals for next year

• Product development and testing:  In upcoming one year we will be focusing to develop a premium quality product with all-natural material. Moreover, we will collaborate with industry experts to ensure that the product is up to the mark, body, and environment friendly.
• Market penetration: We will introduce our product in the market for customer feedback analysis by focusing on the saturated demand and supply areas.
• Awareness and job opportunities at the local level: we will continue our dynamic enlightenment campaign among the various strata and offering new vistas of employment opportunities to the marginalized chunks of society. Our target for the next year to train almost 50000 women who will further spread our mission as our ambassadors through community outreach programmes.   

Following are the impact goals for next five years

• Reduction in plastic and sanitary waste: We aim reduce the menstrual waste right from our operating region up to 30 to 40% by curtailing the consumption of plastic based menstrual pads and educate people for safe disposal methods. In this way we can contribute in achieving the sustainable development goal no: 13 “Climate action” under particular indicator 13.3.1.
• Gender equality, health promotion, and empowerment: Our aim is to empower and equip one million girls with the primary knowledge of safe and healthy practices of menstrual hygiene management and ensuring their period dignity. With this, we can promote women's sexual and reproductive health and hygiene to attain gender equality overall. Through this, we can contribute to sustainable goal no: 3 “Good health and well-being” under indicators 3.7.1 & 3.7.2, and SDG no: 5 “Gender equality” under particular indicators: 5.6.1, 5.6.2, 5.c.1.
• Employment and economic growth: Our ultimate aim is to create decent jobs for women and other marginalized by giving them opportunities and safe spaces. This will not only address the feminine poverty in our country but also improve the overall economic growth. Through this, we can contribute to sustainable goal no: 8” Decent work and economic growth” under indicators 8.3.1, 8.5.1, and 8.5.2.
• Environment-friendly consumption and production: We are vigilant in using and promoting all such materials that are sustainable, locally available, best for the body, and environment-friendly. In our case, we are using agro-waste and all-natural materials to curtail GHG emissions and improve overall safe manufacturing practices. Through this, we can contribute to sustainable goal no:12” Responsible consumption and production” under indicators 12.2.1, 12.2.2, 12.3.1, 12.5.1.

Interestingly, She-Guard has the potential to contribute in achieving All the remaining sustainable development goals indirectly.

She-Guard is definitely bringing a revolutionary impact for short, medium and long term. Because we are providing a dynamic solution to the huge yet worrisome problem in which the main victim who is actually suffering, feels shame and embarrassment, they are the ones whose voice needs to be heard and their unsaid pains are healed. There is a logical connection between the activities that are carried out to ensure that women get their innate right to period dignity and are at least aware of their sexual and reproductive health rights. If we break activities into three different time periods of 0-1 year, 1-5 years, and 5+ years respectively, and design a feasibility and execution strategy accordingly then we are confident that maximum women will get benefits from affordable and eco-friendly sanitary pads in most promising way.

Short-term impacts in one one-year:

• Increased Awareness among women: The immediate impact would be increased awareness about the availability, affordability and benefits of eco-friendly sanitary pads. Our enlightening and marketing campaigns would be proved as catalyst to inform women and communities about the product, menstrual hygiene management and their basic rights of sexual and reproductive health.
• Product Adoption in targeted population: Surveys remain amazingly helpful to predict that women would make the switch to eco-friendly pads, reducing their reliance on plastic based uncomfortable alternatives. This change helps reduce plastic waste and lessen environmental pollution to quite an extent.
• Local Employment: The manufacturing and distribution of eco-friendly pads will create local employment opportunities especially to the marginal communities.

Medium-term impacts for 5 period:

• Plastic and chemical waste Reduction: As more women switch to safe and eco-friendly pads, there would be a magnificent decrease in non-biodegradable menstrual and sanitary waste. This leads to cleaner and comparatively less-polluted environments.
• Improved menstrual hygiene and reproductive health: Women will enjoy the better menstrual hygiene and reproductive health than it was ever before.
• Economic Savings and promotion of circular economy: Many women will experience financial benefits by using reusable and disposable pocket and eco-friendly pads. This can immensely help to those who previously couldn’t afford safe menstrual products and cheaper for those who were using the expensive commercial sanitary pads. Circular economy will automatically boost by using agro-waste.

Long-term impacts for 5+ years:

• Sustainability of the organization and environment: When the consumption of affordable and eco-friendly sanitary will becomes the norm, then the targeted organizational financial and environmental sustainability will be achieved in letter and spirit.
• Long-term Health Benefits: In the long term, reduced exposure to chemicals can contribute to lower rates of reproductive health issues, creating healthier and more productive communities. Women's Empowerment, increased education, and shrinking gender gap: The production and promotion of eco-friendly menstrual pads will ensure the financial independence of women and prove broader initiatives promoting women's empowerment and increased education, as it helps reduce barriers to regular school attendance. Last but not least gender gap in terms of socio-economic terms, decision-making, and enjoying basic rights will be reduced. 

  

Currently, the core team is comprised of 6 core team members working full-time. We have 25 internees who were hired from time to time for different activities related to our requirements.

We have been working on this for the past 3.5 years in true letter and spirit. Initially, it was just an idea and we felt that it is crucial to educate people about the problem, its solution, and their responsibility. So, along with raising awareness at different demographic levels, we are keenly working on the product.

She-Guard as the organization is best at inclusive business practices mainly gender inclusivity from the management level to the workers. The whole team included internees are consist of diverse backgrounds, languages, casts and religions. The company does not only provide employment opportunities to women but also includes them in the decision-making process, training, and development. The company advocates and implements all such policies which encourages the marginal ones to be self-sufficient. Creativity and innovation are only possible when a workplace offers equal opportunity to all genders, races, and religions, and She-Guard highly encourages everyone to contribute to the company and in turn country’s betterment. The vision of organization is to create safe and decent spaces and monetary opportunities to marginalized who are compelled to begging. There will be a healthy loop where people from rural areas who are best working in fields so they will be beneficial to look after the collection, sorting, and extraction activities of agro-waste to urban who are moderately literate will be hired for manufacturing, and the third highly educated tier will carry out R&D and other major organizational activities. The organization welcomes diversity, promotes equity, and supports inclusivity in every regard equally.

Our business model for She-Guard has two revenue streams to earn money one is traditional which is earning profit by selling the product and the other is from training and consultations. We will collaborate with the different service key partners who can help us from production to supply chain. To accomplish our social mission to curb the menace of period poverty, provision of safe and affordable menstrual hygiene products to rural women, we will collaborate with the big and small NGOs to serve humanitarian and low-income markets. We will be using both online and physical channels to market and sell our product in order to ensure maximum customer retention by keeping the flexibility of holistic feedback options.

She-Guard is a legally registered entity that is making its best efforts to make the most of its resources for 3.5 years. We are broadly providing products and services. We have worked so hard and sustained with the help of grants we won through distinguished competitions sponsored by notable organizations including UNFPA, IUCN, The Asia Foundation, and the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. Not only this but I also received Prime Minister National Innovation Award 2023 by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.  Once we establish a full-fledged production unit to meet the market's increasing demand of affordable sanitary pads then we will be in a better position to be actually “Sustainable” by selling our product. we are confident that we have the best team but the only limited factor is the suitable investment to set up a fully-automated production unit and maintain local material sourcing We strongly believe that if we successfully raise the funding through the platform of “SOLVE MIT” then it will be no less than a “game changer” to achieve our goals in a short time and fulfill our commitments for the masses and contribute to proving a better tomorrow.