Pad Up Creation provides Nigerian women with sanitary towels made out of washable fabrics. A solution that limits the use of conventional towels and thus reduces the multiplication of plastic waste in the environment.
“We were able to create a positive impact in the lives of 100,000 women who were able to reduce their waste and greenhouse gases by the same amount. We have done our part to rid the ecosystem of plastic.” Olivia Oyemaobi can be proud of her balance sheet, 2 years after the birth of Pad-Up Creations. The young company produces washable and reusable sanitary napkins. An initiative that allows it to protect the environment, since the towels can be used for at least a year. Pad-Up products limit the number of disposable pads that will be buried underground or burned in the atmosphere. This initiative is a real employment channel. She sells the kit for $2.35. Several Nigerian women buy them to resell and make a small profit.
Washable sanitary napkins are the weapons Olivia Oyemaobi uses to make her compatriots aware of the need to protect the environment. “Nigeria has not yet embraced the idea of environmental protection. We must fuel debate, educate people so that they understand that their bad anti-ecological habits expose them to a danger: global warming.” Indeed, a woman uses on average 10 sanitary towels per month and thus 120 per year. This figure, multiplied by the Nigerian female population estimated at around 94.2 million in 2017, could flirt with the 11 billion per year.
According to Deutsche Welle, many girls in Nigeria prefer to stay home during menstruation because they cannot afford sanitary napkins. Some men take advantage of this and demand sex in exchange for the sanitary napkins they need. Olivia gave up her job in a bank to meet this dual need: helping the Nigerian girl and protecting the environment.
The CEO of Pad-Up Creations currently employs 50 people and has set a goal of providing pads for 500,000 Nigerian girls by 2019.
Luchelle Feukeng
