Market based approaches that work, PERIOD.

Are you itchy? And we don't mean bed bugs, New Yorkers!

2011-12-06T18:34:00.003+02:00

We want you! SHE hiring in NYC!

Sustainable Health Enterprise (SHE)
Job location: New York, NY with potential for travel 20%
Start Date: January 2012

Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE), recognized by Harvard Business School, Echoing Green, and Bill Clinton as an innovative social enterprise, aims to drive social and economic change through sustainable business development in emerging markets. SHE’s first initiative, SHE28, is addressing girls' and women's lack of access to affordable menstrual pads often leadingleading to missed school and/or work. SHE is stemming these significant costs by developing a franchise model, coupled with health education and advocacy, to manufacture and distribute affordable, eco-friendly menstrual pads for girls and women by sourcing local, inexpensive raw materials (e.g., banana fibers).

Job Description: Global SHE Fellow

SHE is at an exciting point of growth and looking for a talented and passionate all star to work closely with the SHE Founder, Elizabeth Scharpf, as well as international and Rwandan team members to achieve its mission in a timely, high quality way. This position provides an opportunity for a seasoned, savvy professional or a less experienced whipper snapper itching to make a difference. The position can grow with the right person. Details are as follows:

• Target potential investors (individuals, foundations; philanthropic and/or debt/equity in future) through online research, discussions with partners, Board members, networks;
• Prepare team for investor meetings (with proposals/press kit) and participate in discussions with these investors—both big and small—and/or submit applications;
• Strategically determine potential partnerships when SHE is looking to global expand based on evidence;
• Be able to understand business models, change financial models with new information, and determine how this would change SHE activities;
• Stay abreast of activities and milestones with health and hygiene education and advocacy teammates; incorporate in business development and partnership conversations/proposals;
• Draft major milestones to public, partners, and investors via social media, Quarterly reports, and confirm with team;
• Be flexible and talented enough to thrive in a start-up environment and wear many hats, for example, you and the founder could meet with the Head of UNICEF on Tuesday, have a team brainstorming meeting about corporate partnerships on Thursday, and spend Friday printing and sending Quarterlies to investors and updating the data base and doing Twitter.

Education and Training
• Passion for addressing global socio-economic problems in new ways, love for the start-up atmosphere;
• Self-starter, entrepreneurial “and positive and proactive, taking ownership;
• The ability to work under pressure, and tight timescales while being a team player;
• Creative and innovative approach to problem solving with flexibility to be in contact with a diverse set of stakeholders discussing varying content;
• Be results oriented, evidence-based decision-making;
• Must have good communication skills—English is a must, + French is preferable;
• Undergraduate degree is necessary: experience can vary→ 2 years minimum, open to 20+ years experience looking for adventure and transition; business background a plus; and
• Salary will be based on a one-year fellowship and comparable pay to other fellowships for social entrepreneurs; potential for position to grow tremendously in salary and responsibilities post year one.

To Apply: Submit resume, cover letter, and references to hresources@sheinnovates.com with “Global SHE Fellow” in subject by December 20, 2011.

Road Trip!

2011-12-06T00:18:00.008+02:00

Kirehe, Rwanda
November 2011

Hey there,
It’s Juliet back and I want to update you on what has been going on here at the SHE Rwandan office. I know it’s been a while.
As most of you have read, Megan and I are doing research on banana fiber supply chain in Rwanda and the East African region.
On Wednesday the 16th November, we woke up very early in the morning to take the earliest bus to Kirehe. We visited individual coops in Gatore, Kirehe district in the Eastern Province where we visited individual farmers. Our trip went well, sleeping on the bus as usual on the long drive to Kirehe.

Meeting these hardworking individual farmers and walking into the big banana farms was interesting. It was surprising to learn that these farmers harvest and transport four trucks of bananas to Kigali every day. This means that they harvest a lot of bananas, hence a lot of pseudostems. Actually, you can’t imagine the way he put us on his truck from the bus park to his farm. It was very funny.

We are definitely learning a lot from these farmers. We also met Anasthase, who you have probably heard about in my last blog. He is the president of the Kamara coop in Kirehe. We had a very interesting discussion at his beautiful home about exchanging pseudo stems for a health and hygiene training for Kamara coop members.
Soon, we hope to travel to Uganda to meet banana farmers. We will give you more updates.

Thank you so much,
Juliet.B

Finding the True Social Benefits to Drive a Business

2011-11-29T00:47:00.006+02:00

Gisenyi, Rwanda
Fall 2011

Last week Julian, Juliet, and I had the pleasure of visiting our friend Eric Reynolds in Gisenyi on Lake Kivu. Eric is the founder of Inyenyeri, a Rwandan social benefit company, but he is perhaps best known for the company he started while he was in college, Marmot, the popular American outdoor clothing company. It was incredibly inspiring to spend a day with the bundle of passion, energy, knowledge, conviction, humility, and determination that is Eric Reynolds. The vision that he has for Inyenyeri goes far beyond what the business is on the surface, a manufacturer of affordable, safe, and environmentally friendly stoves that run on agro waste. Inyenyeri is a platform from which Inyenyeri customers can truly transform their lives and eventually even own controlling shares in the company! Not only does Eric have a transformative big-picture vision, but he also thinks of all the small ways that Inyenyeri can be a positive presence in Gisenyi. For example, Eric purposefully constructed the roof of Inyenyeri’s raw materials collection hub to create a large overhand under which passersby can comfortably take shelter when it is raining. After our mind exploding conversation with Eric, the SHE team returned to Kigali with a lot of new thoughts on how we can change and improve the SHE model.

You can see in the picture below Juliet’s and my attempt at documenting some of our epiphanies in a crazy web of ideas.

This is a picture of Julian and I posing beside some of Inyenyeri’s raw materials in the Inyenyeri collection hub.

Farming Away

2011-11-14T16:36:00.002+02:00

Eastern Province, Rwanda

Hello everyone,
I am back to tell you how our week went…….
For the whole of the past week, Megan and I have been on long bus and motorcycle rides travelling to the Eastern part of Rwanda in search for banana cooperatives that can become our potential supplies for banana fibers as one of our raw materials for production of affordable sanitary pads.

Megan and I have visited five banana cooperatives so far, and our target is to visit ten cooperatives this month. I enjoy talking to the presidents of the coops, and interpreting for Megan in English and for the coop representative in Kinyarwanda is my favorite.

Right now, farmers only use the harvested pseudostems as fertilizers in their plantations or food for the cows during the dry season when they cannot get grass for their cows. Farmers are so excited to work with SHE in this supply chain, and it’s one way of adding value to the banana industry in Rwanda.

However, during these field visits, we go into very remote areas where there are no restaurants, no stores, no nothing… only the beautiful green banana plantations….so we hardly get food and we can only eat when back to Kigali.

On one of the field visits to Ngoma (Eastern Province), we got stuck on the way back to kigali because there was a truck that had had an accident and knocked houses on the main road, and it took forever to clear the roads so our bus had to just find his way through banana plantations. It was so terrible, so much traffic…and we got to Kigali at around 9:00pm and yet we usually get there at 5:30pm. It’s a great experience for Megan and me.

Looking forward to giving more updates on what is going on in Rwanda.

Juliet.B

Gone Bananas

2011-11-03T17:13:00.003+02:00

Kirehe, Rwanda

I’ve always been a bit uncomfortable with the term “field visit.” Many U.S. based NGOs refer to their project site offices as their “field sites,” even if the office is in an urban area in a capital city. Even within project site offices, I’ve heard employees refer to nearly any type of meeting that occurs outside of the office as a “field visit.” This nomenclature bothers me because, as Alanna Shaikh writes on her popular foreign aid blog Blood and Milk (hyperlink: http://bloodandmilk.org/2011/01/31/the-field/), “if you’re a local partner in a development project, how do you feel when your own home is referred to as ‘the field?’ What does that say about the true nature of your partnership? … It is alienating in the word’s truest sense to hear your own territory referred to as the intimidating unknown.”

This week, however, I can say with a clean conscious that Juliet and I did a field visit. We traveled to a banana plantation! In an effort to better understand the supply chain of banana fibers, Juliet and I hopped on a bus to Kirehe (about two hours outside of Kigali) to learn more about Kamara, the largest banana coop in Rwanda. On our ride to Kirehe, President Kagame and his delegation zoomed passed us in their armed vehicles. Juliet and I interpreted our encounter as a good omen: this was going to be a fruitful meeting. And indeed it was! Literally, our field visit was fruitful because we spent the day surrounded by (and eating) bananas. Figuratively, the visit was fruitful because we learned A LOT about the banana supply chain. The coop president was really excited about the potential of expanding the productive capacity of his farmers. Ordinarily the Kamara farmers chop down their banana stalks and do nothing with the fiber inside the stalks. Once SHE enters the market, however, the Kamara coop farmers could potentially increase their revenue by turning trash into treasure. We also learned some details about the ways in which SHE might, in the future, fit the Kamara coop into our supply chain. It was a fruitful field visit to say the least!

Check out our video to see what banana fibers look like:

Megan

SHE, THE DREAM PLACE

2011-09-14T23:50:00.000+02:00

September 2011
Kigali, Rwanda

I am sure you have heard from my two colleagues Megan and Justine, and this is Juliet.

I remember meeting Elizabeth Scharpf and Hannah Brice in 2008 through Generation Rwanda. They were doing research on sanitary pads in Rwanda and how girls and women can have access to them. I volunteered with SHE with great passion since I had seen this big issue (lack of access to sanitary pads) in my community and schools. I kept learning more about this venture through Rotaract Club Rwanda of which I am a member, and I even facilitated in creating an awareness campaign on menstruation periods as issue for women and girls in my country. It was my dream to be part of this movement.
Surprisingly after three years, I won a fellowship program with Global Health Corps (GHC), and my first choice placement was Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE), where am now working as an M&E officer. I am so excited to be part of the SHE team and this is just A DREAM COME TRUE.

Megan and I did some field visits this week. We traveled around town investigating some craft coops that sell mercndise made of banana fibers. We also visited RWANDA COOPERATIVE AGENCY which is a Public Institution in charge of Promotion, Registration and Regulation of Cooperatives in the country and made some important contacts that will help us learn more about the banana fiber supply chain. Wish us luck as we work out way along the supply chain, eventually paying a visit to banana plantations in the eastern province!

Thank you
Juliet B.

The Options...

2011-09-08T17:06:00.000+02:00

Kigali, Rwanda

Hi everyone! This is Megan, and you met me last week. You saw me sandwiched between my two talented colleagues, Juliet and Justine. I’m going to start off our weekly blog posting with some of my thoughts on the methods for menstrual management.

Working in a small, one-room office with four other women concerned about menstrual health lends itself to a good bit of personal sharing, so I’m going to go ahead and share with the wider SHE community. After learning about how difficult and expensive it is to access pads and tampons in Rwanda, I decided to start using a menstrual cup (hyper link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_cup) when I moved here. This method of menstrual management works great for me and saves me a lot hassle and money, so I must admit that I wondered before moving to Rwanda and starting work at SHE why the company was not investigating alternative methods to pads. Now that I have had the opportunity to speak with my coworkers, I understand much better why banana fiber pads are an ideal solution to menstrual management in Rwanda and why menstrual cups would not work. In short, menstrual cups are not practical for Rwanda because:
• Menstrual cups are made of medical grade silicone which would be difficult to manufacture here in Rwanda
• Menstrual cups must be washed with potable water, which can be inaccessible here
• Understanding how to insert the cup requires a good amount of reading and online research, which might be difficult for some women in Rwanda
• Any type of insertion method for menstrual management is very culturally sensitive and might not be well-received, particularly among Rwandans who are religious
For a more in-depth analysis of where in the world menstrual cups make sense and where they don’t, check out the website of The Diva Cup, (hyper link: http://www.divacup.com/en/home/menstrual_health/), a popular menstrual cup manufacturer.

Another menstrual management option I had read about before starting work here at SHE was reusable pads, such as the Luna Pad (hyper link: http://lunapads.com/). There are several companies that produce reusable pads throughout Africa, such as AfriPads (hyper link: http://www.afripads.com/) in Kenya. On my first day of work, however, Julian asked Juliet and I to speak with girls at a secondary school here in Kigali. Their response to our questions about reusable pads was a resounding: “No way!” Particularly because of the challenges of washing and transporting dirty reusable pads during the school day, disposable pads are truly the best option for menstrual management in Rwanda.

I realize that SHE has already done all of this research and that I am late in joining the movement, but I just wanted to share a bit about my personal journey toward realizing that SHE has really got its hands on a sustainable solution. I am honored to have the opportunity to join such an exciting and smart company.

Megan

J, J + M, oh yeah--SHE is Growing!!

2011-08-24T15:52:00.001+02:00

Kigali, Rwanda
August 20, 2011

The SHE Rwanda team is proud to announce that we now have our own office! With Internet! Currently the walls are bare, so
we welcome any decorating tips. In addition, the SHE Rwanda team recently acquired two new employees and welcomed back
our lovely intern. These three employees will be updating the blog every week, so we invite you to get to know them:

Hello team, I am Justine Muteteri. Very soon I will be a graduate from the School of Finance and Banking (SFB) in the Finance
Department. I started working with SHE as a volunteer in monitoring and evaluation. I have just completed the internship,
where I worked on the following assignments: petty cash management, a document about SHE for new employees, and the
money transfer methods. I presented to SHE at the end of my internship. Let’s share ideas for the next 12 months!

My name is Juliet Busingye. I completed a Bachelors of Business Information Technology (BBIT) at Mount Kenya University. I
have worked with the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Rwanda as an intern in database development and
mentoring programs. As a young leader in 2008, I served as president of the Student Government Association in Generation
Rwanda (GR), which is an organization that provides university scholarships. I also traveled to the USA on a fund raising trip for
GR, where I went to places like New York, Boston, Washington DC, and California giving speeches about my future dreams and
my nation. I first worked for SHE several years ago doing research, so I am now very excited to be part of the SHE team as a
Global Health Corps Monitoring and Evaluation Fellow. You will be hearing from me for the next 12 months.

My name is Megan Strickland, and three weeks ago I joined the SHE team as a Global Health Corps (GHC) Fellow. For the next
year, I will be working alongside Juliet, my friend and GHC co-fellow, and the rest of the SHE team on everything from
monitoring and evaluation, supply chain management, and market research. I moved to Rwanda from the United States earlier
this month and am happily settling into my new life here. I recently graduated from the Public Policy Department at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For my honors thesis I did a case study analysis of different business strategies in the coffee and honey sectors of Rwanda. I traveled all over the country talking to farmers, beekeepers, factory workers, and senior managers. The wisdom I gleaned from my interview subjects convinced me that SHE’s market-based approach to promoting health equity is the key to successful development. I hope that my experience doing research in Rwanda prepared me for some of my duties at SHE, but I know that I still have A LOT of learning ahead of me (for example, learning Kinyarwanda and improving my French). You will be hearing from me every few weeks over the course of the next year. I look forward to sharing with you all!

Thank you for keeping in touch!

--Juliet, Justine, and Megan

From Banana Fibres in Rwanda to MRI Scanners in the UK

2011-08-02T18:50:00.005+02:00

August 2, 2011
Oxford, England

This August we're bringing back the voices that helped SHE grow from the ground-up. Their passion for communities, especially the girls and women in them, drove this organization forward and brought opportunities to those we set out to serve. For this, we are forever thankful.

And now, let's hear from them and the exciting things they are up to!

From Hannah Brice, one of the first SHE Wizards to head to Rwanda in summer 2008 for the needs assessment survey and strategy groundwork....

It is great to hear and see how SHE has progressed since my involvement during its early days in 2007. The stream of news from Rwanda and Elizabeth in New York about SHE’s growth fills me with a huge sense of achievement and pride. The summer we spent in Rwanda shall always live fresh within my memory. I learnt a lot through those two months, lessons and values that I try to follow back home here at Oxford in England.

A lot has changed for me since the birth of SHE. For one, I am no longer a student. I graduated in Materials Science from Cambridge University in June 2009 - incase you are confused I was an exchange student at MIT - and moved to the rival city of Oxford to start my first job at Siemens Magnet Technology.

At the Siemens site, based just outside of Oxford, all of the Siemens Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners are manufactured, along with an office full of engineers and physicists who have played a part in the design of the MRI magnet (that’s where I come in). MRI technology combines so many different aspects of science and technology. Firstly there are the superconducting coils that at a temperature of 4.2 K (that is -267°C), which can carry current with absolute zero resistance. The significance of this, is that once the switch is closed, current can continue to flow, which results in a magnetic field of up to 100,000 times that of the earth’s field. Strong stuff! The forces that the coils experience can be huge - think jumbo jet size scale, and they all have to be held in position to the within a range of less than 0.1mm. Yeah, it is pretty cool stuff - quite literally, and I am loving working for the world’s leading manufacturer of MRI scanners.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has had a huge impact on healthcare. This medical imaging technique visualizes internal tissues in the body with sufficient contrast allowing for clear images of patients’ muscles brain and heart. Not only has this advanced our understanding of the human body, it is a crucial tool in the diagnosis of conditions and illnesses such as cancer. This year MRI technology has been voted one of the top ten scientific breakthroughs of the past 50 years.

Designing MRI scanners may seem far removed from trying to work out how to transform banana fibres into an absorbent sanitary pad in Rwanda. But every technology has to start from its grass roots, and MRI scanning technology is no different, starting out in Peter Mansfield’s back garden shed. Just as MRI technology has matured and played a key role in global health advances, I believe the same shall be true for SHE, transforming the lives of females across developing countries and ensuring that affordable sanitary protection is available for all whilst also enabling women to pursue a profitable career.

Hannah B!

Tanzania or Bust!

2011-06-30T19:12:00.008+02:00

June 27, 2011
Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania

When I was planning what to do this summer at the start of the year I was envisioning taking an internship somewhere in New York City. Going into my senior year at Boston University studying finance I thought working at a bank would be the sure thing I will be doing. However, that is very far from what I am doing this summer; instead I am in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania doing research for SHE. So why did I choose Tanzania as my destination this summer?

My connection with East Africa dates all the way back to my great grandfather moving from India to Mombasa and my grandfather eventually moving to Dar-Es-Salaam to expand his father’s business. I have been to Dar-Es-Salaam before volunteering at hospitals and orphanages. Through the experiences that I have had while volunteering in Tanzania, I saw donation money that was given to the country never seemed to make a huge impact on the citizens of Tanzania. When I came across what SHE was doing with their market based approach, I thought this might be a perfect fit with Tanzania. Now the goal is to get right into the thick of things, on the ground in Tanzania, and try to expand SHE’s impact here.

Well, that is a little about myself and what I am doing this summer with SHE. Make sure to read next week’s update on some of interesting research I am doing in Tanzania!

Mpaka wakati mwingine,
Amar Ruparelia

SHE on the Hunt in Gacuriro

2010-11-05T06:41:00.011+02:00

November 5, 2010
Gacuriro School, Kigali, Rwanda

If you told me that I'd be preparing to build a factory a few years ago, I think I would've thought you fell off the wagon....and bumped your head. But, that's exactly what we're laying the groundwork for right now in Rwanda.

So how does one go about doing that you ask? Well, as I do with most things, I "googled it".....key words: factory, how-to, build. Hmmm, let me add the word "easy" to that search. Why did the screen go blank?

Our task ahead of us is not exactly easy, but that's part of the reason SHE has taken it on, right? Not being manufacturing gurus ourselves, we've decided to do 3 things: get the right people on board early, do our homework, and come up with a systematic game plan...which is exactly what we are doing now.

Our first homework assignment: check out existing manufacturing sites and potential SHE sites. And that's how we ended up at Gacuriro--Julian (our SHE Chief Operations Wizard), Peggy G (one of our savvy SHE-roes), and I poked around one of the technical schools overseen by the Workforce Development Authority, the division under the Ministry of Education with whom we have a partnership. About 6 different technical skill training modules were ongoing....melding, bricklaying, auto-mechanical...you get it. What were we looking for you ask? Consistent electricity, water access, waste disposal system, light, clean space, a passable road among other things.

What was striking was the range of conditions among the different workshops. For example, the first was dark and dirty, but the second was bright and immaculate. I guess not all workshops are created equal. What was also striking was that in the 6 workshops (about 80 people total), we only saw 1 woman. She was the tailoring teacher. Maybe we should have pulled up a stool and joined her?

Elizabeth

And the Campaign Marches On!

2010-11-04T12:21:00.004+02:00

November 4, 2010
Gicumbi, Rwanda

Hello SHE Train,
On my last post I mentioned that the "Breaking the Silence" campaign will be kicked off in the northern part of Rwanda (Gicumbi) with distribution of
sanitary pads collected at the kick-off march in March. Well, kick-off we did!

In collaboration with FAWE (Forum for African Women Educationalists) and RAUW (Rwanda Association of University Women), we visited 3 schools with the aim of talking with the students about menstrual issues, raising awareness and
distributing pads among other things.

The team that took the campaign to this area comprised of a woman member of Parliament from this constituency (you know how we are trying to bring this to the attention of Policy makers so they can waive taxes off sanitary pads!), District
Education Officers and many women from different organizations, whose 2 hour bus drive talk was about menstruation and how we can manage.

During the ceremony, we had testimonies from both students and teachers, who confessed this was a pressing problem and now, I quote ‘at least we are going to have a whole term of girls’ presence in school with the pads we just received’. Most notable is the fact that the policy maker in our company promised to take this to the ‘House’.

Watch out for Julian taking the pad and running with it to Parliament!

Julian
SHE, Chief Operation Wizard

Cranes, Trains, and Automobiles

2010-11-03T17:42:00.006+02:00

November 2, 2010
Kigali, Rwanda

Bond issuance, consumer behavior, interest rates….ahh, love at first sight, or listen. That was my first thought in my first economics course. I know, geek central, or better yet, mild mannered policy wonk! There are a few things I remembered from that class, but a lot more I forgot. One thing that I did remember is Professor Ghilarducci’s “crane index”. It was 1997 and she had just come back from China and remarked that you can tell a country is growing rapidly not only by its GNP per capita, but by how many cranes there are in the sky. Her premise was that cranes signaled new construction which symbolized investor confidence and investment, job creation.

Well, Rwanda may not have cranes, but it does have scaffolding (see picture above of Kigali Institute of Ed with scaffolding)! And the scaffolding index is high these days. I returned to Rwanda recently after a stint in the US, recruiting an international technical partnership and raising venture philanthropic capital. Much has changed—there’s a new beer (Skol), a wider road, and lots of new scaffolding to symbolize what the cranes did in China... But is all growth good? What do you think? To be continued….

Elizabeth

Rwandans Celebrate with SHE

2010-10-22T23:09:00.016+02:00

October 21, 2010
Kigali, Rwanda

The Curry Stone Prize award that SHE won last week has generated a lot of excitement among Rwandan women as they look forward to new ventures in dealing with one of the most pressing issues for girls, women, and communities.

Congratulatory messages are flying through my inbox and phone from different women, especially those that have been following our activities, who have supported and believe in this cause. They were excited to get the news about the award, some wondering, what it means, why SHE, what we intend to do etc,

And you know what my answer to each question is? SHE has come a long way (Ref to previous blogs and website) and WATCH THIS SPACE.

Julian
SHE Chief Operations Wizard

Thanks to the Curry Stone Design Community

2010-10-15T17:25:00.018+02:00

October 15, 2010
New York, NY

On behalf of our SHE team, thank you to the Curry Stone Design Community. And thank you to the Rwandan communities we work in, our Board, Advisors, pro-bono Consultants, Volunteers and She Supporters who believe that addressing girls' obstacles to schooling is vital to the well-being of our world. We are humbled by this social design award recognizing our work in health and hygiene education, advocacy, and our potential to drive economic change through local business development. This award will allow us to launch our first manufacturing facility in early 2011.

Check it out:

For more news please check out the latest news:

New York Times Highlights SHE's Eyes on the Prize | Design That Does Good October 13, 2010

Curry Stone Award Site: SHE wins Curry Stone Design Prize October 13, 2010

Design Observer: Sustainable Health Enterprises Wins Prestigious Curry Stone Design Prize
October 13, 2010

Are you the next SHE Fellow this Fall?

2010-08-26T21:30:00.003+02:00

We’re looking for a highly-motivated, experienced, and passionate SHE Fellow who wants to work with an innovative, international award winning social venture, Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE), to change the world! This position is a full or part-time volunteer position working in NYC for 10 weeks.

What will you do? Everything from prepping for the Clinton Global Initiative, researching best practices in social entrepreneurship, helping roll out new intiative in Rwanda, spearheading, editing, laughing, changing the world!

Please send resume, cover letter, and answer to the questions, "Why SHE? and why you?" in an email with “SHE Fall Fellow” in the email heading to supportshe@SHEinnovates.com by midnight, September 6th.

About Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE): www.SHEinnovates.com

Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE) is a social venture using market-based approaches to address social problems in developing countries. Its first initiative is addressing girls' and women's lack of access to affordable sanitary pads when they menstruate causing them to miss school and/or work--up to 50 days per year. SHE is helping women start up their own businesses to distribute and eventually manufacture affordable and eco-friendly sanitary pads made of local materials (e.g., banana fibers). Echoing Green, one of the premier seed funders of social enterprises, named SHE 1 of the 20 most innovative social ventures worldwide (out of 1,500 applicants), Harvard Business School named SHE founder, Elizabeth Scharpf, its first Social Enterprise Fellow, President Clinton recognized Elizabeth Scharpf at the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative, and Nicholas Kristof featured SHE in the most emailed Dec 2009 NYTimes article as one of a handful of innovative and meaningful organizations.

Election Day!

2010-08-10T00:10:00.002+02:00

August 9, 2010
Kigali, Rwanda

Greetings to you all and welcome you back to this page, with the latest in the SHE political world. By the way, no business is without politics, unfortunately this revelation just came to me!!! and the reason for which am saying this is because i have taken leave from office (not that i did not need vacation), thanks to the presidential campaigns keeping all Rwandese on our toes, less work and more campaigning for presidential hopefuls.

However, the exception to this campaign is that no candidate is pulling the other down as it is in all campaigns i have seen, all the candidates are talking about their manifestos and what they are willing to do for the people of Rwanda. It's really about keeping the people together and not who is better than who, which makes this a unique one, am yet to analyze the reasons why this is so, might be a trend all future campaigns want to take-- BE AWARE OF RWANDA, THE TREND SETTER. HERE WE COME!!!

The campaign is a heated one, with mammouths of crowds pulling up behind their respective candidates, and thanks to the empowerment of women, we have a woman senator running for presidency, talk about Trend Setters!!! Ears and yes eyes are wide open to promises of increasing teachers salaries, a factor that has remained hitherto uncommon to most African teachers, so when one declares that teachers salaries will increase,and by how much by the way? Not sure, let's wait and see as I stand in awe!

This Monday, we all go to the polls, to choose our next president and trust us to choose wisely. So if you want to stay in business,promote health and sustainable development, please be with us that we use this opportunity to show the world that we can set trends even unknown to us. Meantime i will be enjoying my vacation,lying somewhere on a beach and reading some book and magazines! Wish me luck!

Julian, SHE COO

Dancing to the Tune of ‘Breaking Silence on Menstruation’

2010-07-13T18:38:00.002+02:00

July 12, 2010
House of Parliament, Kigali, Rwanda

Hey if you thought women and men (including parliamentarians, Ministry permanent secretaries, school girls, Int’ NGOs staff) marching from one city centre to the another with the aim of ‘Breaking silence on Menstruation and advocating for abolition of taxes on Sanitary pads was up to no good, take a deep breath and read on:

-The Rwanda Government recently approved the 2011 budget, including a remarkable $35,000 towards the purchase of sanitary pads for the schools in the poorest districts around the country, not to mention that there is an ongoing exercise to construct separate latrines for both boys and girls.

-On the day of the march to present, over 10,000 packets of sanitary pads have been collected from community members (including Rwandan diaspora) to be distributed to rural school girls who lack them.

-The same group of women, men and girls who participated in the march, have organized a sanitary pad distribution exercise a few days from now where the collected sanitary pads will be distributed to schools that lack them most, in each region of the country. This will be coupled with health and hygiene sessions with the students and teachers and sharing best practices around menstrual health.

The Minister of Sports and Culture (who was the guest of honor at the march) has a famous saying in the local language ‘ibyiza Birimbere’ loosely translated as, ‘Greater things lie ahead.’ I totally agree with him.

Julian, SHE COO

Are you the next SHE Social Media Junkie?

2010-06-03T22:26:00.001+02:00

Do you tweet and use Facebook every day, all day? Is building social community so ingrained you just can’t stop? Do you understand the social media universe including YouTube, Digg, Reddit, Twitter, Wikis, blogs, etc and how to create effective content through each of the channels?

We’re looking for a highly-motivated, experienced, and passionate social media addict who wants to work with an innovative, international award winning social venture, Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE), to change the world! This position is a full or part-time volunteer position working in NYC (or potentially remotely) for 10 weeks.

Do you want to spend the next 10 weeks...
• Interacting with our existing supporters and galvanizing them to proactively “do something” to support our mission?
• Instigating a new set of supporters to join the SHE train?
• Creating new content and edit existing content with the SHE voice?
• Populating all social media outlets with the content?
• Making recommendations to the SHE team on what works and what doesn’t? and providing a game plan for their social media strategy?
• Having a blast being a part of a kick-ass team and learning about the nuts and bolts of running a start-up social venture doing ground-breaking work?

Do you have experience and/or skills...

• Developing and/or editing social media content that is consistently “on message” and in the voice of the represented individual/group?
• Developing/editing aesthetically pleasing and creative graphic design, short videos?
• Researching social media best practices and applying them to your work?
• Navigating all older and newer social media outlets?
• Working independently, instigating, and taking the “pad” and running with it?

If you answered YES to these questions, please send resume, cover letter, and a sample of your social media (LINKS ONLY--no big attachments!) in an email with “Social Media Fanatic” in the email heading to supportshe@SHEinnovates.com by midnight, June 6th.

About Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE): www.SHEinnovates.com

Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE) is a social venture using market-based approaches to address social problems in developing countries. Its first initiative is addressing girls' and women's lack of access to affordable sanitary pads when they menstruate causing them to miss school and/or work--up to 50 days per year. SHE is helping women start up their own businesses to distribute and eventually manufacture affordable and eco-friendly sanitary pads made of local materials (e.g., banana fibers). Echoing Green, one of the premier seed funders of social enterprises, named SHE 1 of the 20 most innovative social ventures worldwide (out of 1,500 applicants), Harvard Business School named SHE founder, Elizabeth Scharpf, its first Social Enterprise Fellow, President Clinton recognized Elizabeth Scharpf at the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative, and Nicholas Kristof featured SHE in the most emailed Dec 2009 NYTimes article as one of a handful of innovative and meaningful organizations.

Are you the next SHE Systems Development Geek?

2010-06-03T22:23:00.001+02:00

Do you like taking ideas and making them happen? Do you like building the infrastructure and setting up systems to make those things happen?

We’re looking for a highly motivated, experienced, and passionate systems development geek who wants to work with an innovative, international award winning social venture, Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE), to change the world! This position is a full or part-time volunteer position working in NYC (or potentially remotely) for 10 weeks.

Do you want to spend the next 10 weeks...

• Optimizing our new development software and bring it up to speed and ready to launch?
• Implementing a new more efficient email system?
• Transferring our email marketing system to a new and system?
• Implementing new payment online systems on the website?
• Researching "cloud" operational strategies that create efficient working systems?
• Making recommendations to the SHE team on what works and what doesn’t? and providing a game plan for how to implement an efficient systems strategy as SHE takes off?
• Having a blast being a part of a kick-ass team and learning about the nuts and bolts of running a start-up social venture doing ground-breaking work?

Do you have experience and/or skills...

• Creating and/or utilizing systems so that individuals/organizations/teams can work more efficiently?
• Researching systems best practices and applying them to your work?
• Navigating all older and newer systems (email, database, etc)?
• Working independently, instigating, and taking the “pad” and running with it?

If you answered YES to these questions, please send resume and cover letter in an email with “Systems Development Geek” in the email heading to supportshe@SHEinnovates.com by midnight, June 6th.

About Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE): www.SHEinnovates.com

Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE) is a social venture using market-based approaches to address social problems in developing countries. Its first initiative is addressing girls' and women's lack of access to affordable sanitary pads when they menstruate causing them to miss school and/or work--up to 50 days per year. SHE is helping women start up their own businesses to distribute and eventually manufacture affordable and eco-friendly sanitary pads made of local materials (e.g., banana fibers). Echoing Green, one of the premier seed funders of social enterprises, named SHE 1 of the 20 most innovative social ventures worldwide (out of 1,500 applicants), Harvard Business School named SHE founder, Elizabeth Scharpf, its first Social Enterprise Fellow, President Clinton recognized Elizabeth Scharpf at the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative, and Nicholas Kristof featured SHE in the most emailed Dec 2009 NYTimes article as one of a handful of innovative and meaningful organizations.

Work it (Literally!) with SHE

2010-05-04T21:13:00.004+02:00

April 31, 2010
Kigali, Rwanda

SHE would like to wish all our readers and fellows a happy Labor Day. In Rwanda the day has been celebrated in style, and by Style I do not mean anything else but that ‘Employers and employees had an afternoon of bonding’. Normally Labor day is characterized by different organizations and offices holding parties and merry making, meaning employees have a day off etc, this time I call it unique because it was ‘bonding time’.

It has been noted that labor day is about merry making and nothing is done as far as ‘labor’ is concerned and true that!, this time, employees have been instructed to sit down with their employees, share ideas and views, and try to create a relationship with their employees, something that is never the case in most working conditions, an employer is considered the BOSS and therefore not one to just bump into and speak out whatever you have on your mind.

So today afternoon (31/04/2010), all employees and their employers did sit down to a round table, this was done right before actual labour day, because this years’ falls on a Saturday. We caught the day unawares though Elizabeth and I hung out a lot last month (see picture).

In the SHE corridors, Community Health Workers have a chance to speak to masses about the health and hygiene education, to us, it's time to give out to the community what is theirs but have no access to, as we already have an employee and employer relationship that people around us envy.

On behalf of the SHE team, every employer and employee is wished health days of service.

Julian
SHE Chief of Operations

SHE Stands With Remembrance

2010-04-28T01:32:00.004+02:00

Hygiene training post 16th Genocide Memorial-Rwanda

As you are all aware, the month of April in Rwanda is characterized by ‘Genocide Memories and Remembrance of our loved ones who lost their lives during this time’.
This year was the 16th year of Remembrance.

During this time, life goes on normally, but with Memories fresh in our minds, and for this particular reason, SHE stood with Rwandans in remembering the genocide victims, especially with our Community Health Workers. The period, which officially lasts for 1 week has come to an end and as usual SHE is back to Health and Hygiene training by the Community Health Workers.

The training this time round is kind of unique with two main characteristics: supervising the Training of each CHW as an individual and data collection and will last for at least 3 months.

The SHE Volunteer Interns are at it again, with very clear instructions on the importance of the data collection, which will pave way for our next actions. This data is centered on: Pilot sales of existing sanitary pads and how training of Health and Hygiene is carried out. The Data which is being collected is analyzed by our ‘M&E wizard’ on a weekly basis and we shall be communicating the outcomes. In the meantime, you will be hearing from our Volunteer interns on the individual training visits.

Watch this space.

Julian, Chief Operations Officer

Brick by Brick

2010-03-30T17:03:00.010+02:00

28. March 2010
Kigali, Rwanda
The Big House

This is the first time I have not wanted to board the plane. For the last 1.5 years I’ve had one foot in Kigali, one foot in NYC, and one foot cruising on the BoltBus to my next destination. (OK, that would make me some sort of kangaroo species perhaps, but you get it. ) I usually come to Rwanda for a specific reason like finalizing business skill training, or bringing a new staff member on board. My arrival date is usually planned in advance and my departure date is set and not moved. I don’t really think about being 100% in Rwanda because we have fantastic local leadership and a significant amount of R&D still takes place in the U.S. This transience makes it difficult to be a part of a community in Rwanda--even in NYC too. It’s tough. And maybe part of me keeps it that way because it would then be difficult to leave….which is exactly how I’m feeling today.

On Friday, we, along with 10 leading grassroots groups in Rwanda, kicked off a national campaign. Hundreds of Rwandans gathered and marched across the capital and ended up in the small stadium to discuss obstacles to girls’ schooling, namely those related to menstruation. Can you imagine that? In a country where there was a genocide just 16 years ago that demolished lives. In a country where Human Rights Watch alludes to an “authoritarian govt” and lack of free press.

This was moving, kind of ridiculous (a Period Parade, waaa?), and productive. Is that even possible all at once? Most importantly, it demonstrated the strength of community, a community marching and acting to improve peoples' lives. And as the day went by, I saw so many faces of people I had met over the past 2 years from Angelina to Dinah to Shirley. These are people who make up such a rich community that I am privileged to be a part of....even with my three legs!

1, 2, 3...Kick-offffff!

2010-03-25T17:13:00.017+02:00

Kigali, Rwanda
March 25, 2010

Hey folks, put on your walking/marching shoes and beat your drums to the tunes of ‘Breaking Silence on Menstruation’ campaign, which kicks off with a march in Kigali.

The Campaign is aimed at advocating for:
-Open dialogue on menstrual issues;
-Increased access to health and hygiene education;
-Increased access to affordable sanitary pads.

One thing I just realized for sure is, just as we all need management and bookkeeping skill, every one needs advocacy and awareness skills. Right now as I write this, my B.day is 15 minutes away, and I can’t think of anything to do, other than work on the campaign, one of my campaign partners mentioned she cannot concentrate on a thing, until launch of campaign is done, no wonder this is full time job for some, for those of you who have the skills, am glad to hear from you.

So we are holding the biggest campaign on ‘Menstrual problems’ ever and we hope to get the ‘Big SHOTS’ committing to action.

As soon as I am done with the launch of the campaign, I get to meet Fatima's favourite people: the Community Health Workers (CHWs) again to get stronger commitments from them on ‘Health and Hygiene Education’. Oh by the way, remember the interns aboard SHE? Today they distributed over 50 campaign invitations around town, what better support could I ask for? I promised to take them out when the whole exercise is done, on ME.

Hey I gotta go pick a piece of cake (its my Bday remember?),

In case you are unable to attend the march, watch this space, but if you are able, ENTRANCE FEE is :PACKET OF SANITARY PADS.(Includes a bottle of water and Tshirt).

Julian
SHE Chief Operations Wizard

Training in Tare

2010-03-18T20:11:00.006+02:00

March 20, 2010
Tare, Rwanda

SHE’s not just about pads. SHE’s about sparking conversations with girls and women about their periods, their bodies and their health. We had the pleasure of having one such conversation this past Saturday in a small village boarding school in Rwanda.

Early in the morning, Elizabeth and I met Justin and Dorothy, two of SHE’s interns (see picture), at the bus station in Kigali (it was so early that Bourbon Coffee did not yet have their ice for the day so we tried their hot coffee…divine!) We headed off to Nyamagabe, a district in the southwest of Rwanda, passing thru Butare, the major university town in Rwanda. From Nyamagabe we traveled another 30 minutes by mini-bus to a village called Tare where the menstruation management training session was being held.

We jumped off the crowded mini-bus and met the community health worker. Accompanied by a throng of small children (we learned several useful phrases from Justin to keep the little ones at bay), we strolled over to Tare’s boarding school, a secondary school for boys and girls from all over Rwanda sitting atop a hill overlooking gorgeous lush green valleys. Several students were playing volleyball when we arrived. It was, in a word, idyllic.

We were greeted at the school gate by a very handsome, very friendly young man who we learned was the school’s disciplinarian (talk about perverse incentives!). Within a few minutes, 70 or 80 students, both teenage boys and girls were packed three to a row into a classroom with a blackboard and wooden benches (reminiscent of the schoolroom in Little House on the Prairie). The previous day’s lesson (in French) was still on the blackboard. Apropos our visit, the students had been learning about the
ovulation cycle!

As soon as the discussion began (and reference was made to menstruation), all of the boys streamed out of the room (which was fine, since it allowed the conversation to flow better – pun intended!). The community health worker and SHE’s interns led the discussion (in Kinyarwandan-which I have picked up in my 2 weeks here, just kidding, the interns were taking notes in English and a lot could be gleaned from observation).

The students had a lot of questions – about irregular periods, about condoms, and about getting cheaper pads (most of the students currently use rags). Two students gave a lively demonstration on how to use a sanitary napkin (see photo). Justin, Dorothy and the community health worker answered the questions they could on the spot and the rest were collected for follow up.

Although I did not catch every word, the take away was that the girl students were bursting to talk about their periods, their health and how to protect themselves. Next steps are to provide feedback to Fatima, the training guru, on how to fine tune the menstruation curriculum and training approaches to address the questions and concerns we heard at Tare.

Judy
Guest Blogger and SHE Legal Extraordinaire Adviser

Who's in the SHE House?

2010-03-12T20:59:00.004+02:00

Post M&E wizard (FATIMA)
Kigali, Rwanda

Do you guys recall the arrival to Kigali (SHE hub) of a SHE M&E wizard? Fatima? So her 3 months stay came to an end last week, and I must say it was with great achievements, I became a better monitoring person, thanks to her. Is it always that monitoring and evaluation people develop so many documents/questionnaires? I am about to start calling them stalkers!!! I miss Fatima!

So, these days the SHE Chief Instigating Officer is really taking care of me by making sure am not ALONE. She trotted the world this time with our lawyer, who, apparently on a holiday, is busy looking at SHE MoUs (contracts), and giving me insights into becoming a lawyer, Welcome Judy. So we actually have another J in the house.

Most important though, is that right now, I have a number of volunteer interns involved in the Monitoring and Evaluation, very interesting kids, they are out there putting to use all the forms/questionnaires formulated by Fatima, and visiting the CHWs (community Health workers) training sesions while I am kept on my toes managing them (I am loving the SHE full house right now).

Next week is my bday (23rd), and I just got an early present.

Watch this space for : presentation to an group of philanthropists and my update on what happened on my B.day.

Julian
SHE Chief Operations Wizard

Celebrating International Women’s Day in Kigali!

2010-03-10T07:59:00.009+02:00

March 8, 2010
Kigali, Rwanda

I’m here visiting Kigali with SHE founder Elizabeth Scharpf. We were lucky to arrive here just in time to celebrate International Women’s Day today, Monday, March 8. The day was declared a public holiday by the Rwandan government just this past Friday. As a result of the impromptu holiday, the city was quiet. We powered thru the day nonetheless with the help of exquisite delicious Rwandan coffee (and coca cola!). It seemed everyone was celebrating - two fellows sitting outside the Kigali tourism office happily informed us that the office was closed today on account of all of us lovely women!

And celebrate women we did! Perfectly timed to fall on International Women’s Day, today was also the 70th birthday of Professor Shirley Randell, Director of the Centre for Gender, Culture and Development Studies at the Kigali Institute of Education. Shirley is a pioneer in the space closest to SHE’s heart: using innovative techniques and leveraging international partnerships to ensure that girls and women get the education necessary to fulfill their potential. SHE wishes everyone a wonderful International Women’s Day and salutes Shirley, a great friend, inspiration and mentor!

Guest Blogger Judy Amorosa,
SHE Legal Counsel

CHWs, You're the Ones I Love

2010-02-22T19:26:00.007+02:00

Rulindo, Rwanda
February 20, 2010

Photo caption:
Four Community Health Workers (CHW) in Rulindo; from left to right: Beatha, Josephine, Marie Rose, and Florida. What are they holding, you might ask? Well, curious SHE-er, those are our monitoring and evaluation forms that our CHWs will fill out every time they carry out a health and hygiene training, or make a pad sale. These reports will complement our field visits where we will work with each CHW directly. This is at the conclusion of our three-hour meeting, by which time we all were comfortable enough with each other to make jokes, and say “salaaaaad” (pronounce sah-laaaaahd) together to get our teeth showing for this picture.

CHWs, you're the ones I love.

Maramutso, Miriweh, Uraho…these are some of the many greetings I heard and learned this week. I’ve also become accustomed to the common handshake here (this one is mostly used when meeting someone for the first time)– a kind of loose informal hand-slap with one hand, with the other hand resting on the extended arm’s elbow.

I spent time with quiet Esperance and young active community member Aloys in Nyamata, leader Marthe, reserved Marie Claire, and opinionated Azela in Karongi, sweet Marie Rose, quiet Florida, giggly Josephine and leader Beatha in Rulindo, and many others in Nyamagabe. They told me everything – about the health and hygiene trainings, the pad sales, and the changes they see in their communities.

The communities we work with vary from those who live hours from the city centre, to those who live in the centre of the rural district. Sensitizing everyone to the issues around menstruation has been key, but has definitely been more important for those who live in farther out rural areas. For many (especially those farther from the city centre), it is their first time hearing about menstrual health and hygiene, and seeing that there are pads to help them manage their menstruation. The trained has helped to break the silence and embarrassment of menstruation, as our CHWs explained that before, women and girls would have to hide that they were menstruating and hide their fabrics during washing, but now they are free and it is not a matter of shame for them.

Let me clarify – what the CHWs said: before, some girls and women were using fabric that they would cut from their clothes. But this was ineffective because women and girls still could not go places freely when they were menstruating. Now, women are able to go to church freely because they know how to manage their period and have the pads to do it, and girls don’t have to stay home from school because they are ashamed or afraid their fabric won’t protect them all day – they can put on a pad in the morning, and it can last the whole day or they can take another one in their backpack with them. The CHWs said they see the difference starting in their homes - with their sisters, mothers - and extending to their neighbors and to their communities.

One thing that is interesting is that the CHWs train men in the health and hygiene education curriculum as well. They said it is important to train the men also because they have to understand the need to buy pads, and they are very supportive of it now that they have had trainings. Men are very happy because it is the first time that they are understanding this, and now it is easy for them to buy pads for their sisters or wives.

As they were explaining the differences they see, they also said that girls and women do not get “illnesses of hygiene” anymore. I kept probing on the illnesses that they used to get, and they described pain and yeast infections. These have decreased dramatically.

So what are we doing with this feedback and what do we need to work on? I think Azela put it well when she said a phrase in kinyarwanda in this proud kind of way, and everyone laughed; when I turned to Delphine (Rwandese intern, currently a student at KIST), she tried to explain that it was hard to directly translate, but it was along the lines of “I’m the best sales-woman: when I have something to sell, people come to me.” She proceeded by saying she wanted more pads to sell. Beatha said it in a heartbreaking way: “Poverty is everywhere, money will always be an issue, what can you do but try to find work and help your family and neighbor.”

Our CHWs are incredible people who want to have more impact on their neighbors, want every girl to have enough pads so she doesn’t miss school, and want to meet more women in the market who tell them that now they are free and comfortable. I walked away from each field visit with a satisfying exploding headache, knowing that these CHWs want more pads to sell, more information on health and hygiene, and training on how to make pads. There is much to be done on addressing and incorporating all of this feedback, and that is what we are now working on.

As always, please comment and write with any ideas.

Fatima, SHE Fellow

fatima@sheinnovates.com

Banana Buffet!

2010-02-18T16:13:00.005+02:00

February 17, 2010
Kayonza, Rwanda

So folks, hope you are back to non Red-black wear, if there is anyone out there who did not receive a ‘Happy Valentines message’, that does not mean you are not loved, it has come late, but SHE loves you!

Last week on Friday I went on a Banana fiber (SHE Raw materials) hunting trip.
So a friend of mine, conversant with the Eastern region-Rwanda, an area with the largest banana growing population, traveled with me, to show me around the land of bananas, you will not believe the amount of stems thrown around and the sizes of the plantations.

We visited one farmer, who has acres of land with bananas, and surrounded by another 5-6 farmers of the same, they were all interested in hearing what we need the banana stems for and how possibly these stems can amazingly produce great hygiene products like sanitary pads.

I took time to show them the extraction process, I was even promised extracted samples which I will go to see in the next one week.

I came back with a bunch of banana, in case anyone wants to join me for a banana buffet!

So this morning, Fatima (our M&E expert) and I had a session of brainstorming over the chain of supply and distribution.

Do not go away; watch out for our brilliant brainstorming reporting on ‘Raw materials supply-production and distribution’

Julian

Saddling Up!

2010-02-04T03:30:00.002+02:00

February 3, 2010
Kigali, Rwanda

Hi there, SHE companions,

It’s been an interesting week – sad to see Elizabeth leave Kigali for New York, but I’m comforted in knowing that she’ll be back in a month!

So it’s me and Julian, Julian and me, me and Julian. This week, I made progress on setting up a monitoring and evaluation system – did a lot of research and prepared a bunch of documents that we’ll be taking to the community health workers later this week. We want input in two areas: the pad sales, and the health and hygiene education. We visited the community health workers in Kigali last Friday, and got a lot of great feedback from them. Ghras stood out as the leader in the group – articulating positive feedback, as well as concerns. The interesting thing is that Ghras and the others didn’t just say such and such is a problem; they also told us how they think we could address it. Spending time in the field is invaluable, and I’m glad I’ll be doing a lot of that in the coming weeks.

And the other thing on my agenda is finding banana farmers all across Rwanda. Wouldn’t you want to give up your banana fibers for the making of pads? Tell me if you know any farmers with banana plantations please!

Fatima

Leapfrogging with our phones!

2010-02-01T20:11:00.003+02:00

February 1, 2010
Kigali, Rwanda

Hey folks,

Best Weekend wishes from Rwanda.(I know mine was great!It was my sisters Bday on Saturday and my brother's on Sunday, and Heroes Day is today in Rwanda! Never could ask for a better Weekend!)

You will not believe one of the best developments that is happening to SHE, one of the Mobile tech services, MTN, has launched money mobile services in Rwanda (hopefully in the region too), this is something that will enable the local population to send and receive money at an affordable cost, presently , one can only send/receive money through the traditional way, biggest percentage (having to get one to carry the cash, if they are going to a destination where you want the money taken) sending through the local bus services-which has also become expensive, bank transfer or the international courier services which are affordable by a few. MTN promises to beat these both in the number of services offered and cost.

We at SHE, hope to use this with our Community Health Workers being able to receive and send money in the sanitary pad sales and distribution, since they are based in remote areas where the aforementioned services do not exist, but MTN service centres exist.

Watch US.

Julian

Entrepreneurs Everywhere

2010-01-21T18:20:00.001+02:00

January 21, 2010
Kigali, Rwanda

Greetings SHE’ers,

It’s been a busy and exciting week in Rwanda. We went to a really fascinating entrepreneurship gathering on Monday evening sponsored by JCI – the group has a creed that everyone was asked to say together standing up (which started to give Elizabeth SHE ideas, until Julian and I gave her a don’t-abuse-your-power look). So after we all sang/stated the creed, there was an initiation ceremony for the new officers and board for 2010. Over the course of the evening, there were some interesting motivational type of speakers that talked about the importance of development in Rwanda: one of the biggest goals for the country is to increase the amount of jobs available in the formal sector (to 1 million, the speaker said).

One of the things that drew me to SHE was how many different aspects of development it contributes to – from curbing infections related to using rags to helping girls continue to attend school to helping women start their own businesses that they then expand and use to create local jobs. It’s a powerful idea, and I look at the two women that I work with each day and now that these are the women are quietly making big things happen.

Keep reading and commenting please,
Fatima

Julian kicks off the year with SHE Full House

2010-01-19T12:12:00.008+02:00

January 19, 2010
Kigali, Rwanda

Hey guys, sorry I have been quiet but that’s because I did not have anyone to SHE talk to over the break. That’s not going to happen again, as I started off with a ‘SHE full house’! So, with me now, is Fatima, who is already doing a great job at not only getting us up to google-everything speed, but also developing a new and improved Monitoring and Evaluation plan that we are ready to run with all around the country (see our planning picture below!) and yours faithfully-the founder, who flew in to wish me ‘Joy in the New-year’-I needed it. I guess with my SHE chair full, I will be ready to rock and roll!

However, just to fill you in on what I have been up to: (Oh by the way , if you did not have your share of the ‘Health and Hygiene training’ in 2009, sorry because ‘I have gone commercial’, no more free lessons. Just kidding.)
So I have had the pleasure to not only Train 50 CHWs on ‘Health and Hygiene and business skills and inventory management’, but also been a guest speaker at ‘GLO Peace Camp' organized by the US Peace Corps, OTF ALCP entrepreneurship class for young and upcoming entrepreneurs, PSI Youth Centre staff (social marketing/health org), not to mention what will be in my next blog. Watch out for the 2010 action, I might as well be training H.E’s around the globe, you know we are dealing with a global issue right?
I will see you next week-- be sure to watch this space.

Julian, SHE Chief Operations Wizard

Taking a Page from Ferris

2010-01-19T00:27:00.002+02:00

January 18, 2010
Kigali, Rwanda

SHE is the Vespa of social ventures—quick moving, gets the job done well, without the heavy price tag and baggage (oh, and we like to think we look good in baby blue too!). But sometimes when you have what seems like an unending list of things to do in what seems like so little time, we should take Ferris Bueller wise words to heart,

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”

Who wouldn’t listen to Ferris? In fact, let’s take a look around right now. By the end of 2009, SHE has
• 50 new trainers trained in health + hygiene who have each committed to training 100 community members in health + hygiene, bringing us to 5,000 newly educated in the country of Rwanda
• 50 sole-proprietor distribution businesses up and running, equipped with simple business skills (e.g., inventory management, bookkeeping) who are selling sanitary pads at 15% less than the cheapest available option
• Patent-pending technology that takes locally available banana fibers and makes into absorbent material, creating jobs for hundreds of farmers, a promising sustainable manufacturing business, and product 35% less than cheapest available pads.

Here’s to looking around in 2010!

Elizabeth

Welcome to Rwanda, Fatima!

2010-01-14T12:54:00.004+02:00

12:34 January 14, 2010
Kigali, Rwanda

Fatima Sabar, SHE's trailblazing Fellow, has arrived in Rwanda to make things happen. She's no stranger to SHE, having helped draft the hygiene curriculum used to train hundreds already in Rwanda. Following in the footsteps of the great Stanford dropouts like the Google founders, she's taking time off from school (don't worry Fatima's mom, she'll make graduation!) to bring ideas to life. Meet Fatima now!

Fatima

Muraho from Rwanda! Life is exciting here - I’m writing from Shirley’s inzu where across from me is Julian (SHE Operations Wizard) translating a community healthcare worker feedback from kinyarwanda to english in between answering calls to plan important meetings, and next to me is Elizabeth (SHE Chief Instigator) working on product development. What am I doing, you might ask, as my colleagues are hard at work? I, dearest SHE followers, am taking a break from redesigning a monitoring and evaluation system. Soon I’ll be out in the field talking with community health care workers (in the company of someone who can go between english and kinyarwanda, as my learn-10-words-each-day regimen has failed me in effective communication thus far) and meeting the women and girls who are learning about menstruation and general health and hygiene, and subsequently buying pads. Stay tuned!

Fatima

3-2-1 Launch!

2009-11-24T21:52:00.007+02:00

29th October, 2009
Kigali, Rwanda

I was set for the first SHE health and business skill training for the group of 28 Community Health Workers. The first training session has people hailing from all parts of Rwanda, ready to equip themselves with the tools to educate and provide greater access to essential products to their peers. The training started at 10am with an introduction to menstrual health and hygiene and business management with a good exchange of ideas that ensued. People asked things such as, "Why do women and girls menstruate? What are the infections that happen when I use rags and how can I avoid it?"

Each of the Community Health Workers trained today will go back to their communities and train 100 others in the health and hygiene they learned today and set up their own small distribution businesses, earning a margin on every product sold. As two of the participants commented:

Moise says, "The training will help me improve my family’s welfare."

Claudine says "I learned about health and hygiene during menstruation, what can be done when it occurs and now I am going to pass it onto the rest of the communities."

Next training is coming up soon!

Julian, Chief Operations Wizard

.

This is why we do what we do

2009-10-30T16:44:00.003+02:00

October 29, 2009
Kigali, Rwanda

FAWE Uganda is making things happen. In their study of challenges to girl child education, the Forum of African Women Educationalists (FAWE) researchers found that taboos and silence associated with menstruation in many communities mean some girls are in any case unable to ask their parents for money to buy pads, and forced to find ways of getting money on their own, sometimes through sexual relationships with much older men who can provide the cash The response? Time to talk....about health and hygiene, girls' obstacles, and how to overcome them together.

This article started circulating among Rwandan women this week and talk about how the issues some of their own sisters face and how they can help ensued...wait, not just ensued, but rather took off like Usain Bolt at the 2008 Olympics. Here's an example of one person sharing:

Hello sisters,
Thank you for the discussions but for me this is a problem i have been struggling with for quite some time.
first of all i happen to know of a female headed family(widow) who has 5 children we go to the same church.
she is not educated infact i can say she is poor; i met her daughter coming from school abit far from her home and was walking legs apart so i asked what had went wrong, she first hesistated to respond then i inquired whether she was raped? she told me she is in her monthly periods and because she uses old clothes as her pads stuff had socket and burnt her because it was a hot afternoon; then i created an atmosphere for her to talk to me freely en she said even getting soap to wash it is not easy for her mum who doesnt work.

I also happened to mentor the 200 female students at KIST but every time i met them or meet them they are ever lamenting of very little allowances that can not be enough for them to buy enough pads barked by other needs a student requires.
generally this is an issue that can not wait anymore lets give it time.

YES, this is why we at SHE do what we do.

Africa is Rich!

2009-10-13T05:07:00.004+02:00

October 10, 2009
New York, NY

The African Social Enterprise Forum sent me an invitation to speak in late September for their inaugural conference in NYC in late September. None of the words from the title "Africa" or "Social Enterprise" or "Forum" popped out to me. But what did, was in the phrase, "Africa is rich. This is not a charity." You said it!

In the past, I'd say it wasn't a far reach to think of Susan Struthers with young skinny children with extended bellies and flies swirling around them when someone mentioned Africa. Hunger, poverty, war, and despair might have even come to mind. Well think again. Africa is rich. Hear a little bit of why I think Africa is rich as well as some of the reasons why I think being an entrepreneur is the least risky thing I could ever do:

Elizabeth

CGI-2009 Enough Said

2009-09-25T06:43:00.002+02:00

SHE rocks it at the Clinton Global Initiative!

SHE Founder, Elizabeth Scharpf, makes commitment along with Nobel Prize Winner Muhammod Yunus, Nike Foundation President Maria Eitel and President Bill Clinton.

SHE Hits the Clinton Global Initiative

2009-09-23T05:45:00.003+02:00

22 September 2009
New York, NY

The Clinton Global Initiative kicked off today with Clinton calling on CEOs, Heads of State, NGOs, and individuals to put their ideas, minds, and resources together to address some of the world's most pressing problems.

With the SHE team prepping around the clock...

SHE is ready!

Bringing it Back, One Final Time

2009-09-22T07:02:00.002+02:00

22 September 2009
New York, NY

We're bringing it back one more time as we head off to the Clinton Global Initiative tomorrow...bringing it back to our roots and our values at SHE. Why you ask? Because it's times like these (when you are in the room with CEOs, Heads of States, multilateral, and NGOs) that we need to remind ourselves and decision-makers that the past doesn't necessarily offer the solutions to the present or the future. SHE is changing the game. Read on!

July 19, 2008
Kibungo, Rwanda

Let’s play the word association game…so when I say something you respond with whatever pops in your head. So for example, I say “Mickey” and you say “mouse.” I say “karaoke” and you say “Bon Jovi.” I say “industry” and you say “international development organizations”…..huh? What an oxymoron!…like jumbo shrimp or big NYC apartment or healthy cigarette (sorry American Spirits smokers) or chatroom party animal. Yet, there is something to this notion of the international development industry.

Despite its poverty, Kigali is not unlike other African capitals with a few posh neighbors lined with signs such as USAID, GTZ, Oxfam, etc. Locals walk along the roadside carting timber, bananas, and water jugs on their heads with mammoth four wheel drive vehicles blistering by with a logo of some international development agency blazoned across the side. This is the norm. It seems that international development organizations, often one of the biggest vehicles of money flow into a country such as Rwanda takes the place of individual and institutional investors in industries such as textiles, food processing, etc. It creates jobs like program officers and outreach specialists in organizations’ programs. It creates linkages to spark job creation in other arenas as well such as computer printer shops and gas stations (those Land Rovers need to fill up an awful lot!). So when locals, as they often do, suggest that we should “just put the driver on the phone when you need directions” or question, “how much money do you have?” we should not be taken aback, but rather take it in stride and acquiesce. Or should we?

Do we have a responsibility to change the norm? And should we want to?

Should we aim to change the mindset that outside development intervention symbolizes a dollar sign? Should we aim to change the idea that international development organizations are the main vehicle for economic growth? Don’t we increase chances for sustainable Rwandan growth without dependency on international development $$?

And by the way, we are a start-up enterprise, which is quite resourceful, but working on a shoestring budget. We walk or take public transport almost everywhere. Isn’t that how most entrepreneurs do it? If we had a garage, we’d be working in it right now.

SHE Heads to the Clinton Global Initiative

2009-09-21T03:59:00.005+02:00

21 September 2009
New York, NY

Alright SHE samurais, put on your red sequined shoes, sit on the magic carpet, and get ready for a ride! SHE is headed to the Clinton Global Initiative, a gathering of global leaders from private and public sector to confront the world’s most pressing problems. Check out Bill below on the Daily Show talking about CGI and why investing in girls and women matter.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Exclusive - Bill Clinton Extended Interview Pt. 1

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Healthcare Protests

Picked from a plethora of social ventures around the world, SHE is going to the Big Apple to talk about the very issues we are addressing right now in East Africa: health, education, economic growth through sustainable market-based approaches. So stay tuned! And catch the action live on the webcast starting the morning of September 23rd.

The Numbers Are In!

2009-09-19T02:24:00.003+02:00

20:34 September 18, 2009
New York, NY

If you read the last post, "Bringing It Back," you found out that SHE talked to over 500 girls and women last year in Rwanda after 100+ practitioners and experts in health and education confirmed that girls and women miss school/work because they lack access to affordable sanitary pads. So, what did doing our homework tell us? Keep reading!

SHE MENSTRUATION SURVEY 2008 RWANDA

This analysis was based upon the data collected in 2008 by SHE. The sample was random and the 527 respondents reflected different demographics. This is a short sample of responses from the survey.

SCHOOL AGE RESPONDENTS: (20 years and under)

o Miss school because of menstruation = 53.6%
o Unable to carry out daily activities because of menstruation = 54.1%

• If she misses school it is because (respondents checked all answers that applied)
o Miss school because pads are too expensive = 36.0%
o Miss school because physically sick = 56.6%
o Miss school because pads don’t work well = 39.0%
o Miss school because the cloth rags they use do not work well = 13.1%
o Miss school because they do not have adequate facilities (female toilets or private spaces) = 6.0%

• Number of days of school or work missed:
o Overall average 3.49

WORKING AGE RESPONDENTS (16 years and over)

• Her menstruation causes her to:
o Miss work because of menstruation = 20.9%
o Unable to carry out normal daily activities = 52.4%

• If she misses work it is because: (respondents checked all answers that applied)
o Physically sick = 41.2%
o Miss work because pads are too expensive = 24.4%
o Miss work because pads do not work well = 22.9%
o Miss work because rags do not work well = 11.4%
o Miss work because there are no female toilets or private spaces available = 5.0%

• Number of days of school or work missed
o Overall, working age respondents: Average = 3.61 days

Want to do something about this? Heck yeah!

Bringing it Back

2009-09-16T20:38:00.003+02:00

14:21 September 16, 2009
New York, NY

Greetings all! Recently, we've gotten some calls about where and how we at SHE got started. So we're bringing the blog back, to check out the some of the kernels of our beginnings. Please read on and bounce around:

22:06 June 24, 2008
Sky Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda

New York, Rome, Paris, Addis Ababa—sound like the answer to a Jeopardy question as to where you can find the best coffee in the world? Maybe so, but in my book, these cities will always remind me of my route to Kigali, Rwanda, on the first, on-the-ground, SHE Team mission. Three days after departing from New York, we finally arrived in the small and welcoming city of Kigali. I say welcoming because, in perfect cue, our bags not only greeted us at the Kigali airport, but so did about a hundred boisterous Rwandans, donning Rwanda national flags, playing horns and cymbals, and chanting. Did they do this for every team addressing menstrual management problems, we wondered? Did the airlines tip them off that we had an excruciating journey imbued with busted complimentary movies, rubber chicken dinners, and flee infested single beds for two and not one? Maybe we needed a little cheering up? How thoughtful. We appreciated it as did the Rwandan national soccer team that also arrived with us in the airport the other day.

Yes, you heard right; the SHE Team is off on their first, on-the ground, mission in Kigali, Rwanda. How much more exciting can that be? If you are not familiar with us, perhaps now is the time to introduce. We, Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE), aim to address a simple, common, and yet largely ignored problem: girls’ and women’s lack of sustained access to affordable, high-quality sanitary napkins for menstruation. It’s hard to believe, but the problem exists….all over developing countries! It struck me as incredible that the problem is so prevalent and most of the activity to address it has been ad hoc, geographically clustered, and mainly donation based. Nearing the danger zone of being overeducated, I decided to take a step forward and do something about this outrageous problem by creating Sustainable Health Enterprise (SHE). We’d take a different approach and look to help girls and women start their own franchises to make and sell affordable, quality, eco-friendly, sanitary napkins. And since October 2007, I haven’t looked back….drumming up enthusiasm, support, and partnerships from MIT to Echoing Green to __(insert your name here!)___.

So now I am here with the award winning SHE Team from Harvard-MIT (http://web.mit.edu/ideas/www/index.htm) gearing up for a feasibility assessment in Rwanda. Sounds fancy, huh? But what is a feasibility assessment, really? We’re defining it as essential primary research to determine whether or not we’ll be able to pilot our intervention to tackle the menstrual management problem in Rwanda and beyond. We’ll be doing research in a few different “buckets” (in consulting talk); namely:
1. consumer insights which is just a fancy way of saying we’ll be talking to girls and women about what they currently use when they menstruate, if they are happy with it, and if they aren’t, how can it be improved.
2. product development which is a fancy way of saying we’ll be trying to make the darn product cheaply and locally. Well, how are we going to pull that off?
3. community networks which is a fancy way of saying we’ll be looking for local organizations to own the gig once we jump-start it. We want the local women to own the business of making affordable sanitary napkins.

And essentially, we’ll take this information and say “yay” or “nay” by the end of the mission in August.

So with much ado…we’re off to the field! Come on with us!

My Brother: Best Pad Peddler?

2009-08-17T00:31:00.004+02:00

August 14, 2009
Nyamata, Rwanda

Most of the time incorrect assumptions in Rwanda have minimal consequences, like assuming the water coming out of the shower would be hot (not cold—yikes!) or the typical fare would be flavorless (instead of spicy garlic—yum!). What’s the worst outcome of that? A little chill and maybe some bad breath.

But today, I was confronted by a situation that challenged this. Julian, our new COO and I went off to the Bugesera district in Rwanda to continue our discussions with our new training distribution partners: Community Health Workers (CHWs). Because distribution channels and associated costs make up ~30% of unaffordable sanitary pad prices, we’re partnering with natural existing networks (e.g., CHWs) that have low transaction costs and will form the backbone of the distribution network for products such as sanitary pads. So when I walked into the room, I assumed we’d meet 10 female CHWs. Not so. In fact, the majority were men. Men? How will they teach menstrual hygiene? How will they sell product? Why am I assuming that they wouldn’t be very successful? Am I right? Isn’t the quietness and apologetic tone around menstruation all across the globe partly driven by the fact that men do not menstruate as Gloria Steinem says?

Julian reports, "Interesting to know is that after several discussions, all were interested in the project, and suprisingly one of the men said ‘ahubwo ubu mbitekerejeho nsanga abantu twarashize’, in kinyarwanda loosely translated as ‘after thinking about the lack of menstrual health and hygiene educ and the fact that women are not using the right materials, we as a community are actually all gone/finished’ meaning they do realize the dangers involved in not having facts about the issue.

Is there a grave consequence to my assumption that women would’ve been in the room this morning? Would we have missed out on powerful male advocates? Distribution partners? What do you think?

Right Place, Right Time

2009-08-11T22:14:00.004+02:00

Kicyuru, Rwanda
August 11, 2009

Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

Today, one of our important activities (Health and Hygiene Education feasibility study) took off and guess what, the group that we interacted with (all in Kigali town) all confessed, they do not talk about menstrual health and hygiene, Seriously can you imagine that? Ok, do you actually talk about menstrual hygiene? Because it looks like we are doing the right thing at the right time.

They do not mention it to their own kids, or anywhere else and so, it's amazing to know that the most frequent health occurrence is actually not being noticed, except for SHE who is taking it personal.

We definitely need to pass on a menstrual health program, a heads up for SHE!

We are off to Bugesera, see you soon with more news.

Julian

Hillary, Hillary, Let Done Your Hair

2009-08-09T14:58:00.004+02:00

August 8, 2009
Kigali, Rwanda

So what were you up to on Wednesday? While I was picking flowers or braiding my hair (a joke for all those who don’t know me), our sister, Hillary Clinton, was picking up her pliers in the country next door. SOS Clinton gave a fierce speech addressing the Kenyan leadership, a leadership that is a result of an inflamed election and harrowing post-election violence killing 1,000 in 2007/2008. No one was rebuked. Clinton remarked, “this has not yet translated into the kind of political progress that the Kenyan people deserve,”

One symptom: corruption on all levels. Listen to this:

“According to Transparency International, a bribe is expected or solicited in nearly half of all transactions in Kenya, which is high even by New Jersey standards.” As a Jersey girl, I think she might be right.

The WSJ reports, “The ‘West’ has spent an estimated $2.3 trillion on foreign aid over the past five decades. Yet in a typical African country, one-third of the children under five still have stunted growth due to malnutrition.” Of course, this then begs the question, “What’s the point of international ‘aid’ so to speak and how can we change it?” Is this outrageous statistic a reflection of the political leadership? The international aid system in general? Or the capacity of the African nations and its people to take $$ and produce significant results?

What do you think? Rumors are that Hillary will be in Kigali tonight, perhaps she’ll kick back a few and expand.

SHE Culture Guide: Is it Touchy Feely Optional or Hard Core Vital for an Entrepreneur?

2009-08-07T09:58:00.001+02:00

August 6, 2009
Kigali, Rwanda

Never one to dig following rules or embracing “protocol” (I was late to high school 43 times my senior year), I was surprised when I found myself on Monday talking with Julian, our new SHE COO, about that exactly. So why did I change the radio station? I’ve realized that organizational culture and initiating it early can heavily influence the probability of success as an entrepreneur whether success is financial returns, social returns, or just plain, work quality of life.

Rules, protocol, or a “cultural guide” as I am going to call it, are not so important if everyone is homogenous. But who wants to work with such a group? I’m a firm believer that better decisions are made if people come to the table with different experiences, skills, talents, and points of view. But there must be a common unifying thread among all such as the enterprise’s and employees’ mission, a respectful work environment, oh jeez, and dare I say a cell phone/blackberry etiquette? Don’t worry I am making sure I include another essential: fun.

Fun: All employees must have some.

Red Light to the Red Tide?

2009-08-03T18:18:00.003+02:00

Hey people,

I have been thinking to myself, "would i stop menstruation if i could?" Aside of the fact that EMS would kill me for sabotage (she has been working on SHE and how dare i come up with this idea? ).

So now am thinking, if I could I would because it's totally not fun to look forward to periodical stress (some women have serious aches due menstruation), and so it's just uncomfortable. By the way, I read somewhere that in the old days, women never got out of bed during menstruation,PERIOD. So why would I not stop this if I could? It would make our lives better and comfy; however; on second thought, menstruation makes women special in every way: reproduction and staff, etc........... So to you all out there, what do you think?

Would you stop menstruation if you could?

Julian

Welcome Julian Kayibanda, SHE's New COO!

2009-07-30T09:50:00.013+02:00

July 30, 2009
Kigali, Rwanda

Hold onto your feathered hats--Julian Kayibanda is SHE's new Chief Operations Officer, running the show in Rwanda. She will lead the continued roll-out of the SHE pilot which consists of health and hygiene education and establishment of businesses to distribute (and eventually manufacture) affordable sanitary pads.

Julian, who is also known as "Sweet," is a sharp, personable, and savvy woman of the world. She is Rwandan, grew up in Kenya, and studied in India. And if you think you are going to talk about her behind her back, think again--she knows English, Swahili, Kinyarwanda (Rwandan language), Rutoro, Luganda (Ugandan language), French, Hindi, and Kannada (Indian languages). Yes, I said Kannada! She brings a wealth of operational experience to SHE and passion for our mission. Watch this space as Julian takes the pad and runs with it!

Rags Aren't Always the Answer

2009-07-13T19:34:00.006+02:00

July 10, 2009
Turerane, Rwanda

Women have been using rags for thousands of years when they menstruate. If that's the case, why would SHE take a different approach and try to decrease the cost of sanitary pads?

Recently, our on-the-ground SHE investigator, Maria, had the chance to talk with Rwandan girls at a local Young Women's Association. Listen to what they say:

Annalita says, “The second day of my period it is very tough. It is very painful because it is very heavy. It requires me to use a lot of rags and I need to change a lot of times and also it is very difficult in the village to get soap. So if there is a chance of getting affordable pads then I would be able to change.

If you have pads when you are travelling it would be easy. That would help you to continue with your daily programs and let you go where you wanted to go and do what you wanted to do.”

Anonsiatta says, “The reason I want to stop using rags is because when I spend a day with a rag it burns my thighs. Sometimes when you board a bicycle you sit on it and when you leave you have stained the seat that’s why I wish we could get pads. I think the pads would be easy for us to use.”

From The Girls

2009-06-26T20:55:00.002+02:00

June 23, 2009
Rwamangana, Rwanda

Today I was reminded of why I started SHE in late 2007. I headed off with Maria, our new Rwandan correspondent (introduction coming soon!), to talk with a group of young women about health and hygiene—their thoughts, questions, and answers. A shy beginning evolved into an engaging conversation revealing some of the common issues girls and women face around the world—for example, Angela reflects some of the curiosity that girls/women have about their bodies, the health and hygiene and the difficulties in getting that information sometimes. But also, Jessica shares some of the issues that are not experienced by all, but are still serious, urgent, and need to be addressed. Check it out:

A Page From George Bush??!

2009-06-18T07:08:00.004+02:00

June 16, 2009
Kigali, Rwanda

Half of girls in Rwanda say that they miss school when they are menstruating. They claim that the leading reason for this is that pads are too expensive. So why is there still an 18% Value Added Tax on pads?

Well, we have good news for you. The Rwandan Association for University Women have teamed up with SHE in their efforts to make sanitary pads more affordable to girls and women in Rwanda as they look into reducing the VAT on pads. Check out the news release in the latest Rwandan New Times article!

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=13923&article=1708&week=24

History in the Making.

2009-06-15T20:32:00.006+02:00

June 13, 2009
Kigali, Rwanda

Banana fibre extraction machines arrived in Kigali and were assembled by technicians from India, accompanied by mechanics and engineers from Utextrwa (Rwanda fabric manufacturer who is involved in banana fibre project) and the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology.

After months of waiting, the banana fibre extraction machines are ready for business and SHE continues to partner with the Rwandan government to be a part of the research and technology initiative to help develop the new industry in Rwanda. Everyone gathered around in excitement to watch the first stem being shredded into long fibres to celebrate the important technology transfer and the birth of a new potential manufacturing tool.

Hannah

Not All Checks Are Created Equal

2009-06-09T06:15:00.001+02:00

June 5, 2009
Kicyru, Kigali, Rwanda

I invite you, oh SHE samurais, to come and try on a SHE shoe….you’re traveling on Bolt Buses (glorified Greyhound with wifi) to Boston and back, becoming the 21st passenger in the Matatus (African buses that seat 15) to reach home, helping yourself to networking event appetizer that is your dinner, enjoying Pabst instead of Pinot Noir. You are arguably like every other start-up venture full of passion but carrying a slim wallet. So if someone just wrote you a check for $3.1 Million for the next five years, you’d pop open the Perrier and rev up the Rover, right?

In the book of Elizabeth Scharpf likes and dislikes, signed checks are usually right up there next to orders of cilantro garnished guacamole that are “mistakenly” delivered to your table. So what is there to contemplate? Checks, or investments, are not created equal and good entrepreneurs must gauge the activities and outputs that are required of checks as they may take your strategic plan astray. How would the culture of your venture change? How would the prioritization of activities and constituents served change? And I invite you to share your tales of this very situation.

Does that mean I have to do the same with the guacamole? Nah, I’d just eat it.

Dead Aid?

2009-06-01T19:04:00.002+02:00

May 26, 2009
Kigali, Rwanda

A few months ago, Dambisa Moyo came out with a book called Dead Aid in which the author argued that aid was not only failing to help African countries, but actually debilitating their ability to organically grow. This news feed was remarkable on a number of fronts:
-the author is an African economist who is analyzing Africa;
-the author has worked in the private sector;
-the author is a woman.

She is the antithesis of almost all dominant voices theorizing on what is going to turn developing countries (especially in Africa) around—that is, foreign, academic, and male. Now, I’m not out to make enemies, but I think the public debate is clearly ready to be complemented with a voice that has relevant information given the time she spent in Africa, given her work with the actor that may be the economic growth engine (private sector), and given her insight into the best ROI vehicle (women). But then again, isn’t this just another opinion added to the mix? Maybe, but maybe this time she’s calling it right. To be continued this summer when I hopefully talk with Dambisa herself.

An International Affair

2009-05-29T17:32:00.011+02:00

May 24, 2009
Kigali Rwanda

France, Italy, Kenya, Rwanda, India, Germany….Is that the origin of the starting heat for the Olympic 400m competitors? Or maybe the origin of the front row participants at the latest UN conference?

Not even close…in fact, those are the countries which contribute to the production of the existing Rwandan sanitary pads. The materials are from France, the machine from Italy, the packaging from Kenya, the packers from Rwanda, the management from India, and I’m sure some Germans had a hand in there somewhere.

Silly or sly?

2009-05-19T12:21:00.006+02:00

Kigali, Rwanda
May 18, 2009

Yes, it is true! The core SHE Team is now reunited as I join Hannah in Rwanda. It's like when Laverne came back from that journey and joined Shirley. Or Ponch and Jon from "CHiPs"....or Sylvester and Tweety...or Bill and Ted! We've banded together again as the SHE Team plans to roll out its pilot to increase access to affordable sanitary pads in Rwanda and beyond!

As we plan, there are a number of decisions to make...including our legal organizational structure which leads me to ask: Is Rwanda going down the yellow brick road to find a pot of gold or a pot of manure with its new structural laws? Right now, Rwanda does not allow NGOs to have income generating activities that cover NGO operational costs. Did the country just not read the latest handbook on sustainability? Or is it that they are being more visionary than others? By driving ventures like us to the for-profit sector, the Rwandan govt aims to increase its tax revenue and wean its way off of development aid. Brilliant, huh?! That is if people follow suit and NGOs don't just flood the market with free products/services, thereby making it uncompetitive for those nascent, tax-paying businesses like SHE!

Dance Dance Dance

2009-05-13T03:43:00.006+02:00

Youth Center, Rwanda
May 11, 2009

SHE Rwanda has been making some great strides towards getting sanitary pads to girls and helping them stay in school. One way we are doing this is to partner with youth centers around Rwanda that will sell our pads, along with other family planning products, in youth-friendly environments.

During a recent visit to one of the youth centers I witnessed a huge dance party being held as an excuse to pass on educational lessons about reproductive and sexual health.

Because of the popularity of these centers, and their importance for educating communities in rural locations, SHE’s partnership with them enables us to greatly increase girl’s access to low cost sanitary pads. In the first three months of sales at youth centers, SHE anticipates being able to reach up to 10,000 girls in rural locations and that’s only the start!

Hannah

NYTimes' Kristof Joins the SHE Team!

2009-05-06T22:28:00.011+02:00

New York Times
May 6, 2009

Nicholas Kristof went where many do not once again when he talks about girls' absence from school because of menstruation and what SHE is doing about it. Check it out!

http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/getting-girls-in-school-in-africa/

President Kagame Meets SHE

2009-05-04T17:11:00.010+02:00

April 30, 2009
Rwanda

Last week, SHE champion and businesswoman extraordinaire Christine, took me three hours out of Kigali, to sit in a field in a small district to see President Kagame.
Kagame makes rounds between districts to encourage local communities to work hard and to hear complaints directly from citizens. Christine wanted me to go to address Kagame about SHE. I have generally become very comfortable talking to all manner of people about sanitary pads, including one very uncomfortable Ambassador, but I have to say, the prospect of having a conversation about sanitary pads with President Kagame, in front of a crowd of thousands whilst being broadcast on every radio station in the country, was a bit too daunting. However, Christine took the torch, and waited in line to announce to His Excellency and all of Rwanda, the work that SHE is doing in Rwanda. Go Christine!

Hannah

Harvard startup's sanitary pads to help women in developing countries - Mass High Tech Business News

2009-04-29T03:26:00.002+02:00

Harvard startup's sanitary pads to help women in developing countries - Mass High Tech Business News

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15 Years Later

2009-04-27T16:50:00.001+02:00

During the first week of April, Rwanda shuts down for Memorial Week to remember those who were killed during the genocide in 1994 and to say, as a country, “never again”. The theme this year was “hope”; an indication that even during a week dedicated to mourning, the country continues to look forward rather than backwards. During the week, commemorative events are held, including a candle light procession to the memorial in Kigali, and a service at the stadium in town. Music and dancing at any time are prohibited and the country takes on a definite feeling of mourning. It is a reminder to us all that while Rwanda amazes everyone with the strides it has taken to overcome its past obstacles, there is an important lesson, which is not to be forgotten, lying not far in its past. However, the word “hope” is a key message here, and one that Rwandans do not take lightly. Once the week finished, the call to go back to work was heard and the regular bustle in Kigali resumed with amazing efficiency as everyone kept their eyes on the prosperous future they so clearly want to realize.

Hannah

Protopads Are In!

2009-04-21T21:12:00.004+02:00

4:35pm April 21, 2009
Raleigh, North Carolina

We took one step forward for menstruating kind with the senior design class from North Carolina State sending through their first editions of the SHE protopad!

Women + Income= Benefits for All

2009-03-20T21:39:00.008+02:00

Eastern Province, Rwanda
March 19, 2009

Numerous studies provide data on why assisting women in generating income benefits the community at large, but actually meeting the women behind those statistics is the best part of my job. Last week I had the opportunity to visit a banana wine cooperative in the East who we are hoping to work with in procuring banana fibres. The coop goes through 7 to 10 tons of banana trees a week meaning that the part we need for our sanitary pad project is being thrown out. Christine, the president of the Coop understood this as a terrific way for village women to earn more money and as she is already a successful business woman she was concerned about spreading wealth to others in her community. She invited women from her village to come talk to me about the need for low cost sanitary pads and then asked one of her coop members to demonstrate how to extract and prepare banana fibres. She also invited the Chief of Police and the Executive Secretary of the district to come watch and give their support for SHE and banana fibre extraction. What a day!

Hannah

When A Period Ends More Than A Sentence.

2009-03-17T04:51:00.006+02:00

"Menstruation matters? Yeah, so let's talk about it."

This phrase, my blogger friends, is not the status quo email in my inbox. But I was more than happy to respond to and meet with Rachel Kauder Nalebuff, author of My Little Red Book, not too long ago. Twenty emails, five phone calls, and one tea at the Tick Tock Diner later, Rachel and I co-wrote the following OpEd that landed on the front page of the Huffington Post on International Women's Day. Check it out if you want to learn about why menstruation matters in the global economy and what you can do about it!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elizabeth-scharpf-and-rachel-kauder-nalebuff/when-a-period-ends-more-t_b_172862.html

Hannah's Excellent Eastern Adventure

2009-03-06T03:39:00.010+02:00

Doing business in Rwanda is certainly an education in linguistics, and I learned this during my visit to the Urugero Women’s Cooperative in Rwamagama yesterday. In hopes of procuring banana fibre for our research in the United States, I went to the East of Rwanda to meet with the women’s cooperative who had been trained in extraction and to try to bargain with them for the price of fibre which had been rapidly increasing as both the banana farmers and the women’s coop realized there was money to be made.

The conversation over the price of fibre switched between a terrible hybrid of French, English and Kinyarwanda. Jokes were made that then had to be passed from one language to the next like some ridiculous form of the telephone game, and business transactions were interpreted over and over again until everyone was confident that their sentiments had been properly articulated to the other party. However, despite the language barriers and the potential for misunderstandings, the interaction was remarkably amiable and everyone ultimately wanted the best for the business. In the end there were smiles all around, and I was presented with a beautiful piece of artwork made from banana leaves which I cherish. The visit was not just a great excuse to get out of Kigali but an opportunity to connect with some of the women whose lives SHE is hoping to have a positive impact on as our business grows.

Hannah

Introducing Hannah Poole, SHE's Rwanda Operations Wizard!

2009-02-24T06:23:00.004+02:00

Let's all welcome Hannah Poole back to Rwanda in her new role with SHE. Live from Hannah in Rwanda.....

If an organization was a person, SHE would be that fearless, resourceful, yet open-hearted female entrepreneur who’s intrepid and tenacious attitude gets her where she needs to go as she forges ahead with strategies to bring true meaningful change to the world. We have no SUVs or pretences, rather we use our talent and our spirit to bridge the gap between the women and girls we are passionate about empowering, and those who have the financial means and political power to make it happen. As I undertake my new role in Rwanda, this is the attitude and goal I have so that SHE Rwanda can become a reality.

Last night, having been invited to the British Embassy for cocktails, I felt I truly embodied the SHE spirit. Knowing that the dress was smart casual, I dressed appropriately in a knee-length narrow black skirt topped with a tight long sleeved t-shirt and heels. My hair and make-up done, I finally got around to thinking about how I would make my way up the road to the Embassy. My house is about a 20 minute walk from the main road through a village on an extremely uneven dirt track. In running shoes the terrain in a challenge, in stilettos a ridiculous endeavour.

However, hating to waste money (which would be better spent elsewhere) for just me in a huge taxi, and realizing that there was absolutely no way I could straddle the back of a motorbike-taxi in my skirt, I took up the challenge to walk. And what a spectacle I was! Dressed up and sinking into the dirt with every step of my heel, I teetered up the hill and past the local village houses that line the road. Within minutes I had collected a hundred peculiar looks from the adults, and a posse of children dancing around me, yelling “Umuzungu” (white man) grabbing at my hands, the hem of my skirt and the edge of my t-shirt making each step all the more precarious. But as I made my way up the hill trying to make walking in stilettos on a dirt track in Africa look as natural as possible, despite being ridiculously out of place and inappropriately dressed for my surroundings, I thought to myself that there was no other way I would have rather travelled. My escort of children, and the “bonjours” from the local women helped to remind me who I am really working for and how important it is to be connected to them.

At the top of the hill I stepped into a hotel and with the nod of a doorman suddenly fit in again with my surroundings. I dipped into a hotel bathroom, wiped the sweat from my brow and dirt from my heels and got ready to step into the world of expatriates and diplomats, a strange yet important transition, but one that many people are afraid of making. Stepping out of the car and forming the bridge between the poverty I had just walked through and those who I hoped to inspire to help me empower the women and girls of Rwanda.

High Fives to Hillary and Rachel

2009-01-14T22:01:00.004+02:00

3:24pm January 14, 2009
Boltbus from Boston to NYC

While 2009 may mark the year of the Ox in China, for us at SHE in NYC/Rwanda, it's the month of Hillary and Rachel. Hillary and Rachel? Hmmmm...never heard of them....are they a new comedy act? Do they have that MTV reality show with that guy who used to be Pee Wee Herman? We're talking about Hillary, as in Hillary Clinton. And Rachel, as in Rachel Strohm. Find out why they are our first honorary members of SHE's 28 Day Club!

Hillary: At today's hearing for approval for Secretary of State, Hillary told us the truth about poverty.

“Of particular concern to me,” she said, “is the plight of women and girls, who comprise the majority of the world’s unhealthy, unschooled, unfed and unpaid.”

Goldman Sachs' report underlines the urgency to address this by arguing if we invest in girls' education (including the availability of affordable sanitary pads), we invest in the economic growth of our nations.

Rachel: SHE is full steam ahead in researching and developing an affordable sanitary pad for the girls and women Hillary is talking about. To do this, scientists at MIT, NCState, and KIST are experimenting away. But where do they get their materials to test considering SHE is using materials locally found in our pilot country of Rwanda? I'd like you all to high five Rachel, a social entrepreneurial star, who makes things happen...even if it involves large suitcases, international transport, and bizarre facial expressions at customs!

Way to work it, Hillary and Rachel, the first honorary members of SHE's 28 Day Club!

Don't Miss The Bus To Rwanda!

2008-12-13T21:30:00.002+02:00

Sure, I can't even help but have terrible flashes to the movie "Hotel Rwanda" when I walk by a farmer with a machete in hand. But Rwanda is a different place than it was in 1994 both in aesthetics, but also mentality. Although I can't transport you there, here's a quick video to give a little sense of the place SHE is piloting its first franchise.

It All Comes Down to Politics

2008-12-08T13:20:00.007+02:00

11:23 am December 7, 2008
Kigali, Rwanda

After two years of political saturation from Barack, John, and Hillary, I thought Rwanda would provide a peaceful respite. I thought wrong. Since I have been here, politics are seemingly omnipresent. Here are two major stories:

THE BARACK EFFECT: If it wasn’t clear to you before, it certainly should be now. Rwanda, and probably all of Africa, is a vote that Barack Obama would surely get. Our R&D collaborator Professor Akeng’a (who is Kenyan) is a fan and so is everyone with whom I have talked. Though the excitement is high, the sobering reality that he has a lot of challenges ahead is also known.

LET KABUYE GO: With demonstrations called for almost every week, the people of Rwanda are demanding Kabuye to be released.
Who is she? Good question. Before last week I had not heard of her, but thousands of Rwandans heading to the streets remind me. In short, Kabuye is one of nine senior officials wanted over the shooting down of former President Juvenal Habyarimana's plane. His murder is widely seen as the spark that led to the deaths of some 800,000 people in Rwanda. Check out the view from the BBC and the local Rwandan newspaper.

People are Watching

2008-12-07T11:43:00.005+02:00

2:50pm December 6, 2008
KIST Campus, Building 2, Kigali, Rwanda

“Women are the agents of change.”

-Ambassador Joy at the annual conference for the Rwandan Association of University Women (RAUW)

As a dangerously over-educated person (as Karen Leahey calls me), I couldn’t be happier sitting among the RAUW members today. There was Dinah from AGASEKE, Sarah Ingabire from FAWE, Angelina from the Rwanda Public Service Commission, and Shirley Randall of, well, the world! While each of the women pursue different paths, each is equally impressive and equally value education.

Today, RAUW held its annual conference where we discussed, among other things, the need to deliver, that is improve the lives of women given the opportunities available. Ambassador Joy brought this message home, as did Hon Juliana Kanengwa who is a member of the Pan African Parliament, and Senator Beatrice. What opportunities exist? Well, Rwanda has the largest percentage of women in Parliament (governing body) in the world at 56%. While this might not reflect the gender dynamic in rural areas, the presence of women in leadership presents an opportunity to shape the policies at the government level which will eventually affect the individual dynamics in rural and urban environments in Rwanda. And let’s not stop there, it presents the opportunity to affect the world. As Ambassador Joy aptly said today, “people are watching.” And frankly, they should.

The Times Are A Changin’?

2008-12-04T15:28:00.006+02:00

2:56 pm December 4, 2008
Café Toseros
Kigali, Rwanda

So here I am, back in Kigali again. This time I am solo, without my SHE crew of Bernice, Hannah B, and Hannah P. It’s going to be tough pulling off what we did this summer—surveying 500+ girls/women, identifying potential partners, and R&D collaborators—but what’s more, it’s going to be tough having as much fun without them!

Four months later, I find some things have changed in Rwanda….like the new swank shopping center…or 12,000 Rfw ($23) cell phone. Rwanda is forging ahead into capitalism with, literally, lines out the door. Unfortunately, some things haven’t changed…like the 800-900 Rfw (~$1.50) packs of sanitary pads (10 per pack).

My time here is relatively short, but my task list is mighty long and fierce. I’ll be whipping around Rwanda to (among other things) kick-off R&D collaboration with the fabulous Professor Akeng’a at KIST (the Rwandan Technical Univerisity), or shall we say the MIT of Africa. Or is MIT, the KIST of the United States? Also, I’ll be scoping out potential pilot partners, sourcing some natural fibers, and attending the Rwandan University Women’s Association annual conference. What would I rather be doing? Why, nothing else.

The Mule

2008-12-03T15:31:00.004+02:00

4:00 pm December 1, 2008
New York, NY

There are 1.8 million government employees in the United States and it feels like I talked to about 75% of them today! In preparation for my upcoming trip to Rwanda, I needed to find out if I could bring plant-derived materials back into the country for our experiments in the US. You know the signs, the warnings at JFK, LAX, and Tijuana alike. They are the leaflets and signage that prohibit you from taking a bite of that juicy and delicious variety of Chinese apple or Ecuadorian orange. “No plants, soils, animals can enter US territory.” Rather than do the ole sneaky thing, I am trying to figure out the channels to import the materials—the fibers, the pulp, etc. Overall, everyone at the Soil & Conservation Department, the JFK Port Department, the Bronx gynecologist’s office (wrong number), APHIS, CBP, and the USDA (especially Denise) has been very kind. Let’s see if I get any phone calls or emails with the correct verdict soon!

How long is that Plum Book President-elect Obama?

You are nuts! Errr, uhh, bananas!

2008-10-22T16:22:00.004+02:00

Sometime in September, 2008
Cambridge, Massachusetts

“Elizabeth, I got the package and put aside til you arrive in Cambridge. It’s huge. What is it? A tree or something!?!? Ha!” --Carrie Fitz, close college friend living in Boston

I’d think you were nuts if you asked me just one year ago if I would be opening up a big FedEx box packed carefully with a banana tree trunk cut in 6 pieces. But this, in fact, is the latest development in the SHE Team’s quest to produce a low-cost sanitary pad for girls and women in developing countries. Compliments of the fantastic and generous DON CHAFIN and his Florida-based nursery with exotic banana varieties, GOING BANANAS (www.going-bananas.com), that nutty but necessary idea recently became a reality. After all, that tree in Rwanda didn’t fit in my suitcase!

The SHE Team didn’t waste any time in putting the banana tree to work with stops at MIT, one of the top universities, and IDEO, one of the top product design companies in the world. With tree in hand, the SHE Team set up shop outside the MIT Student Center where we began to extract the banana fibers and pulp from the trunk or stem, the first step in preparing the potential local raw material for a pad. MIT students are curious enough, but we were a showstopper being 3 women with machetes taking to a giant tree trunk with a pile of bananas beside us. The purpose of our “show” was to recruit new students to be involved in the MIT SHE Club and to prepare materials for our next stop at IDEO.

And with fiber and pulp in hand just 2 days later, we made our way to IDEO where we brainstormed with a group of talented engineers for a couple of hours. So, did we come up with all the answers? Actually, like any good brainstorming session, we came up with more questions! Putting all conventional pad connotations aside, we came up with a plethora of new questions, ideas, and experiments around product design, packaging, etc,…for which, I’m sure you will be swinging from your banana tree house to read about in upcoming blogging!

wdydwyd?

2008-09-23T08:33:00.002+02:00

Midnight, September 22, 2008
New York, NY
(energy channeled from Durham, North Carolina)

Why do you do what you do? It’s the question posed to me and the 18 other Echoing Green fellows (by entrepreneur Tony Deifell: http://www.wdydwyd.com) recently at our indoctrination retreat at Duke University. It’s a simple question, but without a simple answer. Of course, our task was to make it simple. Simple enough to fit on an 8x10 inch card and sport a face looking like we really mean it. “Show me sincerity! Show me depth! Show me passion!” Considering 85% of all my snapshot poses are with my mouth gaping wide open, I had little in my repertoire to emulate such emotions. I went with squinty eyes and bad posture. You like?

As you can imagine, the responses were not for the shallow. From my new friend, Samah Salamie-Egbariya: “To give Arab women hope.” From my new friend Nathan Sigworth: “Because those who care should be empowered” (http://www.pharmasecure.us/). And from my friend, Priti Radhakrishnan: “Because they are still dying” (http://www.i-mak.org/). It sounds like a righteous roll call. I love it! But perhaps some of us do things for other reasons….perhaps for fun, perhaps because we are good at what we do. Is this so bad? Of course not.

I think the best surprising result of this questioning is that I reflected upon what I’m not doing. And so, I ask, “why am I not doing what I want to do?” And this doesn’t have to be a reflection on just work. In fact, very recently I reconnected with a special person in my life with whom I haven’t been in contact for over a month. It is this very type of reflection that made me reach out again. And I’m glad I did. And so I ask you, my blog participants (and that may only be mom and dad these days!), why do you do what you do? And why aren’t you doing what you want to do?

Batteries, I Mean Land Rover, Not Included

2008-07-23T23:14:00.000+02:00

July 19, 2008
Kibungo, Rwanda

Let’s play the word association game…so when I say something you respond with whatever pops in your head. So for example, I say “Mickey” and you say “mouse.” I say “karaoke” and you say “Bon Jovi.” I say “industry” and you say “international development organizations”…..huh? What an oxymoron!…like jumbo shrimp or big NYC apartment or healthy cigarette (sorry American Spirits smokers) or chatroom party animal. Yet, there is something to this notion of the international development industry.

Despite its poverty, Kigali is not unlike other African capitals with a few posh neighbors lined with signs such as USAID, GTZ, Oxfam, etc. Locals walk along the roadside carting timber, bananas, and water jugs on their heads with mammoth four wheel drive vehicles blistering by with a logo of some international development agency blazoned across the side. This is the norm. It seems that international development organizations, often one of the biggest vehicles of money flow into a country such as Rwanda takes the place of individual and institutional investors in industries such as textiles, food processing, etc. It creates jobs like program officers and outreach specialists in organizations’ programs. It creates linkages to spark job creation in other arenas as well such as computer printer shops and gas stations (those Land Rovers need to fill up an awful lot!). So when locals, as they often do, suggest that we should “just put the driver on the phone when you need directions” or question, “how much money do you have?” we should not be taken aback, but rather take it in stride and acquiesce. Or should we?

Do we have a responsibility to change the norm? And should we want to?

Should we aim to change the mindset that outside development intervention symbolizes a dollar sign? Should we aim to change the idea that international development organizations are the main vehicle for economic growth? Don’t we increase chances for sustainable Rwandan growth without dependency on international development $$?

And by the way, we are a start-up enterprise, which is quite resourceful, but working on a shoestring budget. We walk or take public transport almost everywhere. Isn’t that how most entrepreneurs do it? If we had a garage, we’d be working in it right now.

Banana Breakthrough

2008-07-22T13:13:00.001+02:00

16:45 July 16, 2008
Kigali, Rwanda

If you asked me one month ago if I thought our journey to low-cost pad nirvana would take us to Japan, I think I’d bid you a sianora. But that, is exactly where we have ended up on the map, giving us our best technological lead so far.

A few days ago, we crashed an expert extravaganza (ie conference) on banana wilting—surprisingly a first in my book. The crash ended up to be quite fruitful (bad joke) as the expert we were aiming to meet, Svetlana, recommended we meet Yuri Mato, a Japanese environmental consultant in Rwanda, who was working on making textiles from bananas. Bingo! Kamikaze! Turns out, we have been climbing up the wrong tree (another bad joke) by talking with chemists, botanists and the like. In fact, Yuri relayed to us that it is the Tama ART University in Japan that has developed the technology to make cloth from banana fibers.

A machete and four banana stems later, the SHE team is extracting their very own fibers from freshly harvested banana trees. Once again, our kitchen and front porch have transformed into the SHE laboratories as we aim to process plant into absorbent material given the Tama Art University technique. Stay tuned for more breakthroughs!

National Kite Day

2008-07-15T23:37:00.002+02:00

18:35 July 13, 2008
Kibuye, Rwanda

There is not much for Rwanda, and other African countries in the region to celebrate because the change in political status from previously colonized, has not yet brought about release from dependence on former colonial powers and other rich countries.

--Rwandan President Kagame referring to the recent 4th of July Liberation Day celebration which also marked 46 years of Rwanda’s independence

You can see it everywhere…..Landrovers with an international development organization logo plastered on the side, $200 million donation headlines in the local newspaper, reams of 3rd hand US t-shirts filling the markets. All of this is evidence of Kagame’s sentiment. The question is, “Does Rwanda resemble a kite in a strong wind? Or an anchor on the sea floor?”

We’re betting on the kite. Rwandans are about to take off and be independent from other rich countries as long as their approach is market-based. Forget donations. They don’t work long-term. Market-based approaches do, so why leave them just for the business world in Europe or North America? And that’s why we’re in the business of setting up locally-owned businesses. Local women are going to own their own sanitary napkin businesses and as long as they are meeting customer demand, their ventures will be sustainable, mitigating a problem that has huge economic consequences.

Cell-phones, Motorbikes, Internet, and…

2008-07-13T22:35:00.004+02:00

15:35 July 11, 2008
Kigali, Rwanda

There are some arenas in which developing countries have not followed the typical sequence of technology development. Take cell-phones for example. Instead of perpetuating the use of land-lines, some countries have jumped into cell-phone technology with cell-phones being a more common thing to find in someone’s hand than a Rwandan cup of coffee. Motorbikes are another example and are quite the rage here. It seems that people haven given up on traditional bikes and are either walking along side the road or hopping on the back of a moto to get to the pharmacie or papelerie. With the internet, countries can leap frog old school mail for communication. So, what is the jump in technology for sanitary pads? We’re ready for your suggestions!

The Geek Summit

2008-07-10T21:48:00.003+02:00

16:50 July 9, 2008
National University of Rwanda
Butare, Rwanda

You know how you sometimes wish you were a fly on the wall? Well today, we were those flies at the National University of Rwanda. Picture it…five older, esteemed Rwandan men: the Dean of Faculty of Agriculture, the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, the head of chemistry, biochemistry, and organic chemistry departments from the National University of Rwanda, the most highly regarded university in the country, all sitting in a circle and talking about menstruation. It was like a convention of master scientists, there were too many degrees in the room to count. Initially, the SHE Rwanda Team, which includes Hannah Brice of Cambridge University, Bernice Huang of MIT, and me, hopped on a matatu (local bus that resembles more of a carnival ride than safe transport) and journeyed two hours south to meet one professor, but very quickly we found ourselves whisked away to meet the highest academics in the land. One by one, they were beckoned for their expertise and one by one they entered the Dean’s office, were explained the project, had a little giggle and then got down to business. The business I am referring to is making an absorbent material out of bananas, papyrus, cassava, and/or rice.

One of the main components of this stint in Rwanda is to gauge the feasibility of producing a low cost sanitary napkin using local materials as the main input. This, my friends, is the greatest challenge we have addressed so far. Why is that? There are lots of plants around and we have a blender (which I can’t believe made it through security in 4 countries!). But alas, it isn’t as easy as your 6th grade science lab. Most pads (actually all) use cotton as their main material input. Unfortunately, cotton is not readily available in Rwanda and many other places this problem exists so we are looking to alternative raw materials which we’ve narrowed to bananas, papyrus, cassava, and rice with banana leaves and stems being our leading contender.

This trek today was important to us because it gave us insight into the existing research and the needed research to develop the affordable sanitary pad given the suggested raw materials. Unfortunately, despite all that experience and education in that room today, the research on making these raw materials into an absorbent material does not exist (that they know of), certainly not in Rwanda. It turns out WE are on the cutting edge of science.

So I beckon you, banana absorbency experts of the world, please give me a ring at 0369786. I promise, we won't drive you bananas!

Why All the Fuss?

2008-07-09T23:31:00.005+02:00

17:45 July 4, 2008
Gitarama, Rwanda

While I like to think that the Scharpf shuffle is an appropriate dance move, there is no place for dancing around the heart of the issue of menstrual management. So, what is the problem we’re trying to address? Who cares that there aren’t any affordable, quality, eco-friendly, sanitary napkins? This has been the case for thousands of years. Why do something about it now?

Today was a serious day. Today is the 4th of July—a day that marks the United States’ independence, but also the Rwandan day of liberation, or the end of the genocide. And today is about choice…choices for Tutsis, Hutus, men, women, girls, and boys. Since 1994, the people of Rwanda have been re-building their country from the genocide that wiped out approximately 1 million people in their country. Let me say that again, 1 million people. And the most recent focus of this reconstruction is on ensuring choice and developing economic opportunities. And that, is exactly what SHE is about.

SHE is about choice. SHE is about sustainable economic development.

Without affordable, quality sanitary napkins, girls and women lose their opportunity to choose. Girls cannot choose whether or not they go to school 4-5 days per month, up to 50 days in a year. They are absent from school on these days. And without consistent school attendance, girls may lag in school performance, ultimately leading to more limited economic potential. Women cannot choose whether or not they go to work 4-5 days per month, up to 50 days in a year. They are absent from work on these days. And absenteeism may thwart their ability to secure well paying jobs. This phenomenon not only severely limits their income-generating potential, but also harms entire communities as females’ economic success improves familial welfare overall with 80 cents of every dollar earned going to the family.

By the way, we're not talking about this problem existing in one country or two. If you haven't noticed, girls and women are everywhere! There are 3.3 billion of us! And there is evidence of this problem all over the world. Think about the power of that human capital which could drive economic growth!

So, as you can see, the problem is about females’ limited choice and untapped economic growth. Why allow a simple issue like sanitary napkins be one of the obstacles to addressing these problems?

We Are All The Same

2008-07-03T22:40:00.005+02:00

22:10 June 30, 2008
Orphans of Rwanda Office
Kigali, Rwanda

While Bill Clinton may not be my favorite president and I may not be his favorite intern, one of his statements has stuck with me…..“Despite all of our differences around the world, we, as humans, are 99% the same.” I think the context of the speech was “so why don’t we put down our guns and have peace on earth.” But tonight, after an intense focus group with twenty-somethings who are part of the organization Orphans From Rwanda, I’m going to apply the statement to menstruation. After all, I’m sure that’s what Bill was really getting at in that commencement speech, right?

One of the gals, LaJalia said today, “Sometimes I end up menstruating 6 or 7 days and because the sanitary pads are so expensive I end up using a pad for longer than I probably should. I end up just staying home from school or activities because I don’t want to stamp.” For those of us unfamiliar with menstrual lingo, “stamping” is the strain you might get on your clothes and other things if it bleeds through and you sit on a chair for example, and leave a mark when you get up. While the terms might be unfamiliar to some of us, the gist of the statement sounds all too familiar—the potential embarrassment of situations when we are menstruating. I found it incredible. There I was….5,000 miles away from home, sitting across from strong women who have overcome adversity of having their parents killed in the Rwandan genocide in 1994, and I am nodding my head in agreement thinking, “You bet, sister, I’ve been there.” I remember wearing that white home game basketball uniform, subtly patting the back of my shorts to check if I was “stamping.”

There were only 12 people in the room on this Monday, but almost 3.3 billion other girls and women around the world who would’ve probably nodded their head in agreement with us today.

Girl Stuff 101

2008-07-02T00:01:00.006+02:00

22:35 June 28, 2008
Maryundo Girl’s School
Nyamata, Rwanda

“Why do I bleed once a month?”

I thought I had at least fifteen years til I had to answer that question from a young girl, but a quick trip to Rwanda has proved to provide more life milestones than a record number of French fries consumed. Today we had our first focus groups with girls, sixty in fact, and it was eye-opening, from the candor to the liveliness to the curiosity. These girls were yearning for answers, and the questions kept on coming. Why didn’t they know about menstruation? Why haven’t they talked about this before? Ahhh, it must be because of the struggling health and education system here. Well, if that was the case, then we could just work on improving upon those systems. But, in fact, it’s more than that.

Who’s ever bought sanitary napkins or tampons and put them in an opaque bag on the way out of the store? Who’s ever apologized in front of boys and/or men for bringing up the subject of menstruating? And what about those pretty plastic cases we’re supposed to use to hold our tampons in our bag? Why are we trying to hide this natural function that is our body preparing for giving birth? Why are we so apologetic?

I think it comes down to the taboo around menstruation. And this manifests itself with a lack of communication about girls’ and women’s bodies and how they change, how naturally and healthily they change.

Why didn’t they know this? Why haven’t they talked about this before? Before I can answer that question, I think I’ll have to answer another one…..“Why did I spend more time in high school health class learning how to drive a car than about my bodily health and hygiene?”

Haves and Have Nots

2008-06-29T11:21:00.002+02:00

I can’t help but reflect on the day as I settle into my new bed and watch the persistent fly crash into the mosquito net that envelopes my bed. You’d think there was a gigantic hot fudge sundae on my side of the net given the fly’s persistence. Though both the fly and I have come up sans ice cream and disappointed, the net does remind me of the separation of those who have and those who don’t. Now, this is not an exclusively Rwandan characteristic, in fact, my home of the United States is one of the largest culprits of perpetuating inequality. Yet as the SHE Team headed to Nyamata, about an hour outside of Kigali, I couldn’t help but notice the girls and women walking alongside of the road, sometimes with multiple babies on their backs, a giant water jug on their head, with miles of road ahead, only to get home to hours-long tasks of fetching fire wood and cooking. Most men cycled by with no luggage. If they are lucky, they are on their way to a job as a shopkeeper, a driver. With unemployment hovering around 50%, that is highly unlikely.

What does this have to do with SHE and our mission? Perhaps nothing, but I wonder if this simple observation underlines the value (or lack thereof) placed on girls and women as players in education, business, and politics? And their coinciding needs…..like affordable sanitary products and services…..or a bike!

SHE Arrives in Kigali, Finally

2008-06-27T16:24:00.003+02:00

22:06 June 24, 2008
Sky Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda

New York, Rome, Paris, Addis Ababa—sound like the answer to a Jeopardy question as to where you can find the best coffee in the world? Maybe so, but in my book, these cities will always remind me of my route to Kigali, Rwanda, on the first, on-the-ground, SHE Team mission. Three days after departing from New York, we finally arrived in the small and welcoming city of Kigali. I say welcoming because, in perfect cue, our bags not only greeted us at the Kigali airport, but so did about a hundred boisterous Rwandans, donning Rwanda national flags, playing horns and cymbals, and chanting. Did they do this for every team addressing menstrual management problems, we wondered? Did the airlines tip them off that we had an excruciating journey imbued with busted complimentary movies, rubber chicken dinners, and flee infested single beds for two and not one? Maybe we needed a little cheering up? How thoughtful. We appreciated it as did the Rwandan national soccer team that also arrived with us in the airport the other day.

Yes, you heard right; the SHE Team is off on their first, on-the ground, mission in Kigali, Rwanda. How much more exciting can that be? If you are not familiar with us, perhaps now is the time to introduce. We, Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE), aim to address a simple, common, and yet largely ignored problem: girls’ and women’s lack of sustained access to affordable, high-quality sanitary napkins for menstruation. It’s hard to believe, but the problem exists….all over developing countries! It struck me as incredible that the problem is so prevalent and most of the activity to address it has been ad hoc, geographically clustered, and mainly donation based. Nearing the danger zone of being overeducated, I decided to take a step forward and do something about this outrageous problem by creating Sustainable Health Enterprise (SHE). We’d take a different approach and look to help girls and women start their own franchises to make and sell affordable, quality, eco-friendly, sanitary napkins. And since October 2007, I haven’t looked back….drumming up enthusiasm, support, and partnerships from MIT to Echoing Green to __(insert your name here!)___.

So now I am here with the award winning SHE Team from Harvard-MIT (http://web.mit.edu/ideas/www/index.htm) gearing up for a feasibility assessment in Rwanda. Sounds fancy, huh? But what is a feasibility assessment, really? We’re defining it as essential primary research to determine whether or not we’ll be able to pilot our intervention to tackle the menstrual management problem in Rwanda and beyond. We’ll be doing research in a few different “buckets” (in consulting talk); namely:
1. consumer insights which is just a fancy way of saying we’ll be talking to girls and women about what they currently use when they menstruate, if they are happy with it, and if they aren’t, how can it be improved.
2. product development which is a fancy way of saying we’ll be trying to make the darn product cheaply and locally. Well, how are we going to pull that off?
3. community networks which is a fancy way of saying we’ll be looking for local organizations to own the gig once we jump-start it. We want the local women to own the business of making affordable sanitary napkins.

And essentially, we’ll take this information and say “yay” or “nay” by the end of the mission in August.

So with much ado…we’re off to the field! Come on with us!