Two local reusable sanitary pads producers-AFRIpads and So Sure have commended the Uganda Bureau of Standards for establishing a related standard which they say is helping them produce quality products for use by women in menstruation periods.
In December 2017, UNBS passed one of the first standards for reusable sanitary pads in all of Africa to help Ugandan companies produce quality sanitary pads for women who were finding it hard to afford disposal pads once used.
The two companies lauded UNBS for the partnership that saw them contribute to the development of the standard, saying further that they have deep insights on the menstrual hygiene needs of girls and women in Uganda.”
They say the new UNBS standard is a key stepping stone to mainstreaming reusable sanitary pads as a product in Uganda and Africa at large.
“The UNBS standard is meant to build consumer assurance that UNBS certified reusable sanitary pads are safe for use, an assurance that all Uganda consumers deserve. “The new standard epitomizes Uganda’s leadership in the menstrual hygiene management sector,” the two companies say in their May 14, press release.
AFRIpads Limited is the pioneer manufacturer of reusable sanitary pads in Africa and the first brand of reusable sanitary pads to be UNBS certified. Since 2010, AFRIpads and the company’s Ugandan retail brand, So Sure, have supported over two million women and girls with their life changing products.
The pads are made locally out of a production facility in Masaka, Uganda that employs more than 150 Ugandan women.
AFRIpads and So Sure say they are strong proponents of the Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) campaign that calls on Ugandans to purchase locally made products to create more employment.
“When we started AFRIpads in 2010, very few people in Uganda had ever heard of a reusable pad. This is momentous progress,” said Sophia Grinvalds, Director of AFRIpads Limited as she referred to the new standard.
The two companies say they offer an affordable and long lasting solution that enables girls to stay in school longer and women to participate fully in the workforce.
“With over 12 million women and girls of menstruating age in Uganda, it has never been more critical for the Government of Uganda and partners like AFRIpads to work together to ensure that no woman in Uganda is held back by something as natural and normal as her period,” the press release issued by the two companies further reads.
