SafepadTM reusable sanitary pads empowering woman in Afghanistan

Now, reusable sanitary pads, Safepad, are produced in Afghanistan. Safepad is the first sustainable solution for women’s menstrual hygiene management that safeguards Afghan girls and women’s active participation in public life.

In February 2021, a Safepad production was established in Kabul in collaboration with one of the innovators of Safepad, Trine Angeline Sig, who is the Managing Director of Real Relief. Safepad is the highly effective, reusable sanitary pad, that contains a permanent self-sanitizing antimicrobial treatment, effectively reducing fungi and bacteria during use and after washing, even if contaminated water is used. It has a lifetime of at least 2 years and contributes considerably to reduce menstrual waste and thereby has an environmental impact.

In Afghanistan, period poverty is a public health crisis that is primarily driven by stigma and low socio- economic status. The taboo surrounding the female body prevents any conversation about menstruation, which reinforces gender inequalities. This can be quite detrimental to the self-confidence and social status of a girl who should not be negatively impacted by a completely normal and biological process that happens in her body.

Our girls face challenges and barriers every day that limits their access to educational, health, employment, and development opportunities. One of these challenges is the lack of access to information and adequate resources on menstrual health and hygiene management. Families and schools do not educate girls on menstruation health and hygiene which combined with poor sanitary conditions have a negative impact on girl’s schooling and their overall wellbeing. Consequently, it leads to reduced school participation, increased rate of school dropouts, increased risk of preventable diseases, and anxiety and misconceptions regarding fertility.

Access to menstrual related information and products is a basic human right and feeling clean, confident, and capable during one’s period is a necessity for all women. Setting up a sustainable supply chain, making quality menstrual hygiene products and proper educational information available is key. In this context, huge strides have already been made by the Afghan Government, UNICEF, and civil society activists.

In 2018, The First Lady Rula Ghani Bibi Gul laid the groundwork, as a patron of girl’s education and empowerment, in partnership with UNICEF and the Ministry of Education. On an occasion during International Girls Hygiene day, she stated that “With good hygiene, they can have better control over their bodies, increase their self-confidence, and improve their attendance in school. Most importantly, healthy girls of today are the future mothers who will safeguard the process of motherhood and decrease mortality rate amongst young mothers.”