Happy National Inventors' Day!

You don't have to celebrate only Valentine's Day this week, because today is National Inventor's Day!

While the most famous of inventors and makers in history is Thomas Edison, there are thousands of unknown inventors and makers that are improving lives, health and incomes. Did you know who invented the toilet? Believe it or not, it's not Thomas Crapper, but Sir John Harington. 

In honor of the day, let's share the love with the maker types among us and spread the word about our patent-pending innovation of transforming banana fiber into fluff! 

 

The longest motorbike ride ever…………..

Dear SHE Supporters,

Sylvere and I visited potential suppliers of banana fibers in the eastern province of Rwanda in the Mushikiri Sector. We both have never been there before, so when we jumped on the motorbikes, we expected a short ride. Oh gosh! 

Sincerely speaking, this was the longest motorbike ride I have ever taken! We rode a total of 30 km (19 miles) over many hills and were covered in dust by the time we arrived at the co-op.

We were able to meet a number of farmers who are members of the Mushikiri Banana Growers Co-operative Society, which is located in southeast Rwanda in the Kirehe District.

We taught the farmers how to extract the banana fibers, which is the foundation of SHE's menstrual pad, the LaunchPad. While bananas are abundant in the eastern region of Rwanda, banana fiber is not currently sold as a commodity in the market. Our SHE LaunchPad is creating a whole new business for farmers! 

After teaching the farmers the banana fiber extraction process, they agreed to provide us samples of banana fiber they will extract on their own within 2 weeks to prove their rate of seriousness, interest, and willingness to become one of SHE’s suppliers.

Despite the stressful ride to Mushikiri, Sylvere and I enjoyed our trip and ate some bananas on our way back to Kigali.

Thank you

Juliet.B