Gujarat’s sanitary pad model empowers Cameroon women

Vadodara: More than a decade ago, a young woman from Cameroon travelled thousands of miles to Gujarat with a clear mission — to learn how to manufacture low-cost sanitary pads and take that model back to women and girls in her country who lacked access to menstrual hygiene products.That journey changed thousands of lives.Marie-Claire Nabila Kuja found her mentor in 2015 in Vadodara, where she trained at Vatsalya Foundation in low-cost sanitary napkin manufacturing. What she learned there became the foundation of a grassroots movement in Cameroon that has since produced and distributed more than 1 million sanitary pads.“The training I received at Vatsalya Foundation helped me transform the lives of thousands of women in my country,” Kuja told TOI over the phone from Cameroon. “Over the last eight years, we have manufactured and sold more than 1 million sanitary pads. The biggest beneficiaries have been women and girls from poor families.”Kuja, who lives in Bamenda, said access to affordable sanitary pads brought change far beyond hygiene.“Once girls had access to sanitary pads, many began attending school regularly. Women were able to go to work with dignity and confidence. Health conditions improved, and slowly conversations around menstrual hygiene began breaking social taboos,” she said.Recalling her journey, the 46-year-old said that after returning from India, she began searching for affordable and sustainable raw materials locally. That led her to banana fibre, which was both inexpensive and biodegradable.“By 2018, we started manufacturing pads using banana fibre. Gradually, our product became popular because it was affordable, hygienic and eco-friendly,” Kuja said.She has since set up two sanitary pad manufacturing units in Bamenda and Bafoussam, employing around 20 women directly. The project has also created livelihoods for dozens more women involved in marketing and selling the pads in nearby communities.In 2021, Vatsalya Foundation founder Swati Bedekar shipped a pad-making machine to Cameroon to support the initiative. Kuja later procured another machine from China to expand production.“The manufacturing centres also provide indirect employment to many women who sell the pads. The govt here has appreciated our work several times,” Kuja said, adding that she regularly donates sanitary pads to women in underserved communities.Kuja currently works as a nurse in the US and frequently travels between America and Cameroon to continue leading the initiative.Her work has also earned international recognition. In 2013, she was honoured with the title of “Princess” by a royal family in Zimbabwe for her efforts to empower schoolgirls and young women.“I was surprised when Kuja told me she had travelled all the way to India after learning about our sanitary pad project,” Bedekar said. “She was extremely committed and trained with us for several days. It is deeply satisfying to see how the model from Vadodara inspired her to create such an impact back home in Cameroon,” Bedekar said.