Globally, the menstrual industry is worth billions. In 2020, the feminine hygiene product market was valued at $38.9 billion, and is projected to reach $68.7 billion by 2030. In Kenya, startups that deal with menstrual hygiene have been making waves in recent years. These ventures aren’t just about promoting reproductive health; they’re also proving to be lucrative businesses in their own right.
Everlyne Adala is an entrepreneur based in Lucky Summer, Nairobi. She is on a mission to uplift young girls by combating the stigma surrounding menstruation. She is a member of “Days for Girls International,” a global nonprofit dedicated to eliminating menstrual stigma.
She also runs her own outfit dubbed “Days for Girls, Conjestina Enterprise”. Everlyne is a younger sister to popular Kenyan pugilist Conjestina Achieng.
Her venture has been providing reusable and washable sanitary napkins to girls and women in need. Everlyne’s aim is to empower girls to live confidently and pursue their goals without the challenges that come with menstruation. Her efforts have inspired others to join the fight against menstrual stigma.
Her passion for starting her own enterprise began with a small act of kindness towards her sick aunt, Rosemary, who also runs an enterprise that provides sanitary towels to needy girls and women in Korogocho, Nairobi. At first, Everlyne was skeptical and lacked motivation to assist her ailing aunt to produce and sell the pads.
However, after her aunt promised Everlyne a three-week training programme in Uganda, fully-sponsored by Days for Girls International, she quickly learnt how to make the pads herself.
“At first, I had no motivation to join my aunt in her business. She tried to explain to me how to make the pads, but I wasn’t paying attention. However, when she mentioned training in Uganda, I literally taught myself how to knit in a day,” she says.
Everlyne’s passion for the business continued to grow as she accompanied her aunt to various schools, especially in rural areas, and witnessed the positive impact their work had created. At times they would find women queuing while waiting to receive the napkins that were meant for school-going girls. This piqued her interest.
“The more I accompanied her to different schools in rural areas, the more my admiration for her work grew. We used to deliver about a hundred sanitary pads to the schools, yet we still used to find women lining up even along the school fences,” she adds.
Fast forward, after completing the three-week training in Uganda, she sharpened her skills in making sanitary pads, and even received two certificates.
“During the training, I gained a deeper understanding of the various fabrics used and expanded the knowledge that I had previously acquired from my aunt,” she recalls.
Having completed the training, Everlyne officially launched her enterprise earlier this year.
The focus of her enterprise is to create affordable and washable sanitary towels for girls from low-income and disadvantaged communities in Kenya, and making them accessible. This not only helps combat period poverty, but also empowers the young women.
“My organisation uses cotton to make cloth pads. One cloth pad can last for up to three years, if properly maintained,” she adds.
At present, she has seven full-time employees and a handful of part-time workers who rely on her business for sustenance. “Because they rely on this business, I have to be consistent in marketing these sanitary pads,” she says.
“We sell the sanitary towels through various channels, including partnerships with individuals, corporations, and schools, as well as direct sales.”
In addition to distributing pads, Everlyne and her team also conduct awareness campaigns about menstruation, including discussions on topics related to hygiene and other subjects that are often considered taboo.
Everlyne was acutely aware that one of the reasons girls drop out of school is the high cost of pads available on the market. Therefore, she is keen on making her products affordable. Her sanitary pads are sold in kits of three. The Supreme kit costs Sh1,000 and contains pads, two cotton underwear, a face towel and a piece of soap. The Smart-Starter kit costs Sh650 and has two pads, two liners and soap. The Product of Dignity (POD) kit is available for Sh200 and contains one pad and two liners.
Just like any entrepreneur, Everlyne has encountered challenges, chief among them being people’s perception. “Some people, especially those who are accustomed to cotton cloths or store-bought sanitary pads, are skeptical about the effectiveness of our products. I have to convince them that our products are safe,” she says.
