Makapads an innovation that has kept girls in school.

Makapads an innovation that has kept girls in school.

By Angella Nansubuga.

Gender Unit

Makapads are sanitary pads, which were innovated by Dr. Moses Musaazi of the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT). They are produced from papyrus and paper, making them affordable (Cost about 50% of imported types), >95% biodegradable & chemical free.

The Makapads project in Uganda conducted research through Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR), supported by the Rockefeller Foundation (RF) aimed at creating a leaner-friendly environment in schools which revealed that many girls (who had reached puberty) had a higher absenteeism of  24 days per year which translates to 11%of the time a girl pupil misses learning due to menstrual period  and the academic performance for girls dropped at puberty level. The research also showed that school girls (in puberty) didn’t have access to affordable sanitary towels during menstruation and as such, would skip school. Those who dared go to school used unhygienic provisions & faced humiliation from boys; this meant that girls feared stigmatization due to soiling themselves while in school.

Further research during field trials revealed that about 90% of the girls did not use (off-the-shelf) sanitary pads because they were expensive but improvised with unhealthy materials such as banana fibers, grass, leaves, old newspapers, and pieces of cloth.

In response to this, the project at Makerere University's Faculty of Technology started the manufacture of sanitary pads which are 75% cheaper and thus more affordable to the rural primary school girls who have started their menstruation. The sanitary pads (trademarked Makapads) are the first to be made from 99% local materials with the main raw material being papyrus reeds, cut from the vast, abundant swamps and riverbanks all over the country. After the papyrus is cut, the green cover is peeled off and the white stem what is used in the making of the pads.

The local material used for making the Makapads

The name Maka Pads is an acronym for:

• M= menstruation
• A= administration
• K=knowledge
• A=affordability

The making of the papyrus sanitary pads is Increasing Retention through Improved Literacy and Learner Friendly Schools in Uganda.

Makerere University is very proud of this innovation as a research project that turned into a product. During several exhibitions Makapads have generated great interest. Makapads are also internationally acclaimed and won an international innovation award on 31^st October 2013 for keeping girls in school.

While there are over 32 brands of sanitary pads currently sold in Uganda, Makapads are the only ones manufactured in Uganda from local materials and are chemical free.