MUK makes pads from papyrus

May 21, 2006

MAKERERE University Faculty of Technology has made a breakthrough in producing affordable sanitary pads from papyrus and elephant grass.

By Ronald Kalyango

MAKERERE University Faculty of Technology has made a breakthrough in producing affordable sanitary pads from papyrus and elephant grass.

The pads, under the brand name “MAKA PADS”, which stands for Menstruation Administration Knowledge and Affordability, will be used by disadvantaged primary schoolgirls and rural women, who cannot afford the expensive pads on the market.
“We want to help disadvantaged girls manage their menstruation periods such that they don’t miss school as has been the case,” says Dr. Moses Musaazi, a researcher at the faculty and the brain behind the pads.

Musaazi says research shows many girls have over the years been missing classes during their periods due to ignorance and the ever-increasing poverty among the rural and urban homesteads.

He says imported pads range from sh1,500 to sh2,000, depending on the quality.

“Where do you expect schoolgirls, especially those in rural areas to get that money?” he asked.

Musaazi says many girls had resorted to using unhealthy alternatives like cloths, newspapers, leaves and banana fibres.

To minimise such suffering, the Rockefeller Foundation gave a grant to Makerere University to develop cheap sanitary pads through local materials.

“I was put to task to produce the pads from local material and machinery. I have achieved it by using simple machinery, operated by girls trained to handle the whole process,” he says, adding, “We do not use chemicals. We use papyrus and elephant grass and the machines are locally-fabricated.”

To make the pads, raw papyrus is pulped and turned into paper using machines. The product is later mixed with duplicating papers, dried and softened before cutting out the pads. Non-woven material is then added onto the pads, taped and sterilised before they are packed.

A packet of 10 pads costs sh650 and one pad can be used for a period of 8-12 hours.

Musaazi says they have close to 40,000 pads in stock, ready for sale.

He says their major challenge is making enough pads to meet the over-whelming demand from schoolgirls. They also have to carry out publicity campaigns such that the pads can be accepted by the target group.

“The pads have successfully been tested and certified by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, but we have to carry out regular sensitisation campaigns to market them,” said Musaazi.

Asked whether sh650 is a fair price, he says, “Compared to the higher prices of the imported pads, this is a fair deal.”
Musaazi says they will train more entrepreneurs in different parts of the country to produce the pads.

“So far, some women in Kawempe have adopted the technology and are making the papers which they sell to us for value-addition,” he says.

To venture into the business, one needs a team of three girls to run a set of machinery that costs close to sh1m.

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