Megan White - My Blog

We just put up pictures on our new Flickr account! You can check them out here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/40446606@N02/.

Monday morning — Visitors came to the ZanaA residence from the United States, filling the house/office with new faces and new voices. Within 20 minutes, the gap between Kenya and America was bridged, as Kajani (a Junior Field Officer) played the guitar and everyone, Kenyan and American alike, joined in to sing “God We Adore You”.

Kajani (right) and Grace sing "God We Adore You" in the morning session.

The visitors, who came as part of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, told of their favorite experiences of the past week—which included attending a Kenyan bridal shower and spending time with their new Kenyan host families. Although many of them had only been here for a few days, they already felt at home within the Kenyan culture.

Throughout the morning and afternoon, the visitors learned about ZanaA, and the ZanaA staff learned about the visitors. Megan explained the genesis of ZanaA, from its humble beginnings, to the vibrant organization it has become. Through her explanation, the American students were able to learn about a shining example of an organization that uses Kenyan tools to solve Kenyan problems, rather than imposing Western tools on Kenyan society.

A central element of ZanaA’s “toolkit”, the sanitary pad, was discussed in depth with the visitors. The students appeared particularly moved when Grace (the head field officer) revealed ways in which some Kenyan girls are forced deal with their period, as many do not have the money to purchase sanitary pads.

“They will sometimes use lots of tissues, or they will wash old pads and reuse them. Sometimes, they even use cow dung,” said Grace.

“Did she just say cow dung?” asked a student.

To illustrate the different kinds of sanitary pads that are currently available, Megan passed the pads around the group—drawing uncomfortable glances from some of the visiting boys. But after the initial shock, the boys avidly examined the pads, and even joined in the ongoing conversation.

The visitors were then given an opportunity to teach the ZanaA staff about themselves, and ICF leader Casey led the whole group in an interactive exploration of our passions and interests, in the hopes of discovering which direction our lives should lead.

While many of us simply wake up in the morning because it seems the natural thing to do, the session let us explore the specific things that sustain us through each and every day. Some present said “meeting new people”, while some took a more literal approach and said that it is “coffee” that gets them up in the morning.

And then it was lunch: home-cooked Spaghetti. Some went out onto the back lawn, some stayed in the living room. Music, accompanied with guitar, rang through every room, and both English and Swahili could be heard from every corner. A truly multi-cultural experience. Which, in essence, is what ZanaA is all about—bringing people together from different corners of the world to create solutions for worldwide challenges.

Are you a woman who is passionate about the intersection between business, social justice, and environmental protection?

Do you want to see a model of green African manufacturing?

Do you want to be part of a cutting-edge social enterprise?

Do you want to see girls stay in school through affordable sanitary pads?

Do you want to help offer dignity for women through affordable sanitary pads they can purchase, and financial freedom through sales of pads in the bottom of the pyramid market?

Do you want to make money while doing great things for people and the planet?

Comment below, or visit www.zanaafrica.org and email me, if you would like to learn more or receive an investment packet in May (NDA will be required first).

I am excited at what the immediate future has in store for girls in Kibera and Kawangware, two large informal settlements (aka slums) in Nairobi. Kibera and Kawangware are home to over 2.5 million people – at least ¼ of which are girls in school. Therefore, at least 250,000 menstruating girls reside in these two areas. Within the next three weeks we should know just how many schools and girls there are.

And, by the end of the year, we hope that each and every one of these girls would never again have to worry about prostituting themselves to buy sanitary pads, stealing money from their family to buy sanitary pads, going without food to buy sanitary pads, or missing school for lack of sanitary pads. With the “food poverty index” - the number of people in urban areas who do not have consistent food - increasing to 40.3%, there has never been more pressure on girls to forgo sanitary pads or to resort to these unjust alternatives.

Starting on the 19th, we will have Form 4-finishers (to those Americans readings, translation: High School graduates) paired with Kenyan professionals, going around in teams of two to schools. 500 students in 10 schools will test MakaPads™, the patented sanitary pad to which we have exclusive rights for direct and indirect distribution to schools. From this, we will get feedback to ensure that we have the best product development for large-scale roll-out. Meanwhile, these teams will vist all schools in the areas, taking orders from school girls who could purchase deeply discounted packet of sanitary pads and documenting the numbers of girls who will need free sanitary pads.

Other teams will work with kiosk owners, health clinics, and women’s groups to test the market for sales of MakaPads, including testing the design of the packaging as well as the product itself. We will be selling 1,000 packets in this test phase, in denominations of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 and we will sell packets at different prices. The teams will compile daily market research to help us achieve the optimal price and number of pads to be sold, as well as the best way to penetrate the market.

I look forward to keeping you updated!

If you are reading this and you are a stakeholder in Kibera and Kawangware and want to get involved, or you want to volunteer your time, please contact me through our website, www.zanaafrica.org/ If you do not get through please send me a text message.