Dear SHE Trailblazers,
When I first started SHE, only a handful of decision makers around the world recognized that it was a problem that women and girls couldn’t afford menstrual products. Now, almost a decade later, people like you have made it a regular headline and hundreds of entrepreneurs have reached out to us with the desire to replicate our model. Thanks to all of our believers, we’ll be bringing SHE28’s success to new places this year. But the recent explosion of attention and solutions makes us think beyond SHE28 as well. What are the huge inequities women and girls face right now that we’ll be talking about in a decade? While we move forward in expanding the success of SHE28, we’ll keep asking this question and we’ll keep pioneering.
With great thanks,
Elizabeth Scharpf
Founder & CEO, Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE)
What has SHE28 accomplished?
SHE28 Student Spotlight
SHE28's Reach in Rwanda
How far have we come in Rwanda? go! pads are available in stores and schools in most of the Eastern Province, and our partners on the ground have helped us bring pads and education to around 1/3 of the country. Look out Northern Province, we’re coming for you in 2018!
Farming for Fibers
Because SHE28 uses locally grown, up-cycled banana fibers as the absorbent material in go! pads, over 800 local farmers are earning added income. Our new Supply Chain Associate, Jean Claude Maombi, is responsible for conducting trainings for our farmers in Rwanda. Hear what he’s got planned for 2018 in this interview and see photos from our coops below:
Q: Hi Maombi! What was new with your work with our farmers in 2017?
Maombi: I just started last year, and the first thing I had to do was to visit our banana coops weekly to train and support all of our farmers. We added one new coop last year, which is a female only coop.
Q: How do the farmers benefit from working with SHE?
Maombi: Farmers are very happy to work with SHE. Most of them tell me they use the money they make to pay for school fees, health insurance, home repairs. One man just told me he was using his added income for his upcoming wedding.
Q: What’s coming up in our work with farmers next year?
Maombi: We’re planning to create a fiber extraction center. This center will be able to employ more farmers who can bring the stems directly to a central location. Currently, farmers can’t process the fibers when the electricity is out on their farm because they can’t run the extractors. This will be more reliable for them.
I am also going to focus on improving fiber quality by educating farmers on how exactly they should process and store fibers.
SHE28 Around the Globe
Pop quiz: Where’s the next place that you’ll find go! pads?
- Nepal
- Kenya
- Zimbabwe
- In your hometown?
Answer: SHE has begun conducting due diligence on potential partners in all of these countries and are seeking more potential partners. We are ready to partner with entrepreneurs or organizations outside of Rwanda that seek the impact potential of SHE28. Are you interested? Fill out our initial inquiry survey and the Global Expansion Team will follow up with you. For more information, please email us at globalpartners@sheinnovates.com
Our Supporters
We think big and the backing of these institutions helps us make major, systemic change. Thanks for investing in SHE‘s scale up!
Grand Challenges Canada
Jochnick Foundation
Vitol Foundation
Como Foundation
PIMCO Foundation
Deerfield Foundation
Johnson and Johnson
RA5 Foundation
Clifton Foundation
Serena Foundation
The Arthur B Schultz Foundation
Henkel Corporation
We wouldn’t be where we are today without you! Last year, over 250 trailblazers like you invested in transforming norms for women and girls. Why did they give? Hear it straight from them:
“I am a woman. My daughter is a woman. That is enough.” – Maria
“In today’s social climate, we should all do what we can to make positive change. This organization is clearly innovating on the ground and making a huge difference in the lives of women and girls- SUSTAINABLY! :)” -Chloe
Want to join in?
Are you like us and always looking for ways to build a better world for women and girls? Join in to keep girls healthy and educated today.