THE BEGINNING OF SUSTAINABLE HEALTH ENTERPRISES
In 2008, Elizabeth and three MIT students headed to Rwanda with a blender in their backpacks. What they came away with was a sustainable plan to tackle an urgent, global problem: girls’ and women’s lack of access to affordable menstrual pads.
HOW DID WE DISCOVER THIS PROBLEM?
As a Harvard graduate student, Elizabeth learned of this phenomenon among factory workers in Mozambique while working at the World Bank. According to one factory owner, 20% of her employees were missing work regularly, up to 30 days a year, because of menstruation.The reason: pads cost more than a day’s wages.
LET’S DO THE MATH FOR RWANDA – THE 5 YEAR BLOOD COST:
2.8 mil
menstruating
females
$215
in lost income per female per year
18%
miss school because no affordable pads
$115 mil
potential loss in GDP per year
Elizabeth launched SHE and soon joined forces with a global network of technical, program, and business partners. With our first initiative, the SHE28 campaign, we are actively debunking the myth that donated pads is a long-term solution to this problem.
Our Team
(click/tap for more detailed bios)
SHE GLOBAL
Elizabeth Scharpf
Founder & Chief Instigating Officer
Connie Lewin
Director of Strategy
Alex Albert
Business Development Associate
Leah Putman
Technical Director
SHE RWANDA
John Uwayezu
Managing Director
Jonas Tuyisenge
Finance and Administration Associate
Ariane Dusenge
Health and Hygiene Manager
Flora Ufitinema
Impact Assessment and Projects Associate
Jean Claude Maombi
Supply Chain Associate
Richard Habimana
Production Engineer
Deicole Ishimwe
Sales and Marketing Associate
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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Suzy Ganz
CEO, Lion Brothers
Sheila Hollender, Board Chair
Co-Founder, Seventh Generation
Jean Nganji
Project Manager, Kronos Inc.
Brinda Wiita Ph.D., MBA
President, Open Mind Innovation LLC
Elizabeth Scharpf
Founder and Chief Instigating Officer, SHE
OUR PARTNERS
aren’t just people you swing around on the country music dance floor.
They are invaluable in helping us reach tens of thousands of women and girls. Below are some of our key partners:
University of Rwanda: College of Science and Technology
Deerfield Foundation
COMO Foundation
