Hello and welcome to our Nalena Pads Project, created at Lenana Girls High School! My name is Sara Goff, and I founded Lift the Lid in 2010 to develop underfunded schools with a focus on gender equality. We engage with local communities and encourage our students to develop their writing, communication, and entrepreneurial skills.
From the day we started, we have worked to alleviate period insecurity—the lack of access to feminine products and menstrual education.
Over a million girls miss up to a week of school every month in Kenya due to period insecurity. Can you imagine making your own pads out of rags or leaves? Some engage in relationships with men just to receive menstrual products, and some try to get by with one pad a day during their periods.
We explored supplying menstrual cups, which can last for years, but they are difficult to use and conflict with cultural norms in Kenya. At the same time, relying on government grants to purchase sanitary pads is not sustainable. So, we successfully developed our own method for making biodegradable menstrual pads from sugarcane waste—our Nalena Pads Project, which won two national awards in Kenya!
Our innovative process transforms bagasse—sugarcane waste—into an absorbent core for our sanitary pads.
This method eliminates the need for chemicals or super-absorbent polymers, making our pads cost-effective and eco-friendly.
Join us in ending period insecurity.
We’re building cross-cultural connections and pooling resources. Interested in a partnership? Reach out—we’d love to help contribute to menstrual health education in your community, and expand our outreach.
Email: saragoff@saragoff.com
Donate Here: https://www.lift-the-lid.org/how-it-works/donate/
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