OneGirl OnePad
The average female Kenyan student misses up to two months of school a year because they lack access to feminine hygiene products. Period poverty is linked to gender-based violence, unplanned pregnancy, child marriage, and school drop-out.
From the early days of our volunteers bringing duffel bags of feminine hygiene products from the U.S, to our work with Days For Girls and their reusable products to supplying thousands of students in 22 schools with store bought disposable sanitary pads, OneGirl OnePad has been a cornerstone program for OneKid OneWorld.
All the OKOW science labs, classrooms, and libraries wouldn't matter unless our predominantly female student population could regularly attend class in our partner schools. Our goal has always and will continue to do whatever we can to eliminate period poverty induced school absenteeism.
The Future of OneGirl OnePad
With prices rising around the globe and supply chain issues slowing everything down, we've been looking for a more sustainable solution for OneGirl OnePad operations and scalability.
And we've finally found it.
We are so excited to announce OneKid OneWorld is entering into a partnership with the Kibera Pad Company and Polycom Kenya to create a “mini-plant” in Mbita, where our goal is to manufacture and distribute feminine hygiene products to over 4,000 girls in 22 schools in the Suba District of Kenya.
About Kibera Pad Co. and Polycom
Kibera Pad Co. and Polycom have been successfully running a “mini-plant” in Kibera since 2019, distributing pads to over 50 schools in the area.
The “mini-plant” consists of five women from Kibera, who were trained and are now paid to work full time to produce good quality, sanitary pads.
These women are the mothers, sisters and grandmothers of the girls.
Here's what it's going to take:
The program will eventually reach over 8,000 girls.
The 12-month budget for this project is $45,000. This covers all rent, materials, machinery, salary, health insurance, packaging, distribution and HR for the project.
Some questions you might have
Where does the funding for Kibera Pad Co. come from?
Kibera Pad Co. and Polycom’s main funding comes from Australia. The production (labor, raw materials, and equipment) is fully funded by a donor through a grant from the Australian government and through Loving Humanity, which is based out of England.
Do these pads work and do the students use them?
The pads have been very well received in the schools in Kibera for several years. Kibera Pad Co. also has a panel of 30 people (adolescent girls and young women) who are regular users who routinely provide feedback on the product.
OneKid OneWorld also did our own two-month survey with 100 girls in several schools in Mbita using the pads. Here were the results:
98% of the girls found Kibera Pad Co. pads to be good, soft, and long enough.
92% found the pad to be wide enough for personal use and that the adhesive kept the pad stable on the underwear.
96% of the girls reported not having experienced any accidental leakage. 80% of the girls felt more comfortable using Kibera Pad Co. pads over a regular pad.
100% of the girls would use Kibera Pad Co. pads if they were available again.
65% of the girls found the pads better than their regular pad.
99.5% of the girls would recommend the pads to their friends.
In general, the Kibera Pad Co. pad's performance is superior or performed on par with other disposable pad brands regularly used by the girls.
Other Details
The Kibera Pad Co. product is 100% biodegradable.
The production process has received certification from the Kenya Bureau of Standards meaning the product has undergone all tests and has the standard mark of quality.
Our goal is to scale this project up to reach 7,000 to 8,000 students in the Suba District of Kenya
Our Ask To You
Right now, we are in process of raising the $45,000 needed to fully fund this project for its initial year. This is where YOU come in. We need your help to make this dream project a reality. And, as a reminder, 93% of every dollar raised goes directly to our projects.
And remember, it costs only $15 to supply feminine hygiene products to a student for a whole year!
We have always prided ourselves on making real time impacts in our communities. This project, with its reach and its ability to become an income and job creator is the absolute epitome of a OneKid OneWorld project.
We could not be more excited about the future…and we are so humbled and thankful for your help!
