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! 

 

A few more additions to the SHE holiday office party

Earlier this year, we set up shop for our large-scale production in the Ngoma district. In the past few months, we have built out our factory, added electricity and water, installed our machinery, and have successfully produced fluff! These are huge wins!

Now, we are on our way to making pads, and we have built a great team at our Ngoma production site. Without further ado, meet our latest SHE Trailblazers that are part of Team SHE!

Scroll below to learn more about Nadine, Gaudence, Sandrine, Marie Louise Umulisa, Ernestine, Marie Louise Murereyimana, Christine, and Sam!


Nadine (first photo): My name is Nadine and I am passionate about learning new things. Before joining SHE, I was working as an accountant at Anglican church. What I like about SHE's work is that I making products with my hands. I want to pursue my studies in technology because with technology things always change. I also like fashion. In my free time, I like to sing, follow fashion trends and watch movies.

Gaudence (at left in second photo): My name is Gaudence but everyone calls me Mimi. I studied literature and linguistics at secondary school. Prior to joining SHE, I was working as a matron in at a boarding school in Matimba. I am glad that I am learning how to make pads, since it's a very useful product that I can't live without each month. I like that SHE is making pads at an affordable price. In my free time, I like to pray, help my parents with house work, and to sing in a choir. My dream is to have a happy family and be able to provide all things that my children need.

Sandrine (at right in second photo): My name is Sandrine. I am married with 3 children - I have 1 boy and 2 girls. At school, I studied electricity. I am very excited to be a SHE employee because I want to pursue my career in the technical field.

When I heard about SHE and its work, I thought it would be a nice place for me to work for as a woman. Usually no one talks about menstruation in public and I like that SHE is trying to change things. My dream is to continue my studies in a technical field. This is my first time working in a factory and I am proud of that because I was once told that women could never work in a factory. I'm glad that SHE has now made that possible.

Marie Louise U (third photo with banana fiber): I am married and have two children, a daughter and a son. Prior to joining SHE, I had a small shop selling food. I am a local leader in charge of development in my village. Since joining SHE, my life has changed. I have made new friends among my colleagues and decided to return to school to learn English.

When I tell my friends that I work at the factory that makes pads, they are impressed and this makes me feel proud. My dream is to pursue my studies in community development and launch an organization that assists people like SHE.

Ernestine (fourth photo): Before working with SHE, I was working with Tigo as a money transfer agent. I like being a part of SHE because it deals with menstruation and help people to have access to pads. I also enjoy that I am learning new things on the job.

In my free time, I like hanging out with friends, and singing in a choir. My dream is to pursue my studies in sociology and become an entrepreneur.

Christine (fifth photo): I studied Information and Technology at secondary school and worked as a salesperson for a fertilizer company. SHE has given me the opportunity to learn new things and also help my community.

Many people still lack access to the right information about menstruation so it's important that SHE continue to take the lead and inform people. In the future, I would like to build a nice house for my parents and pursue my studies. 

Marie Louise M. (sixth photo wearing a mask): I am married and have one son. What I liked about SHE is that it employs women to work in a factory. It is unusual for women to be working in a factory since many bosses fear that when a woman become pregnant, she will not work as hard as a man.

I also serve as a community health worker in my village. I have realized that menstruation itself is not a problem; the problem is that girls and women do not know how to manage it. 

Ever since I was young, I dreamt of becoming a doctor. Although I am not one, I am happy to be working in the health sector. Today I dream of working hard to be able to support my family and to have a happy life.

Samuel (last photo): At secondary school, I studied car mechanics. Before joining SHE, I worked in a hair salon that I also own. I like my job at SHE because it fits with my career goals. I am learning new things and also enjoy my colleagues.

Large-scale fluff production has begun!

Editor Note: Have you been dying to know what's been happening at our Ngoma production site? The wait is over! You can learn first-hand from Tyson Huffman, MacGyver-in-Residence, in our mini blog series in three parts. Read today's final post out of our mini series.  Don't forget to check out Part 1 and Part 2!

Come meet our production team: Gaudance, Ernestine, Sandrine, Louise, Christine, Nadine, and Daniel, along with Sylvere, our Business Development Officer (in red shirt).

As I write this, we are in full fluff production at our facility! We have hired eight employees and a manager and they are performing above expectations. We ran our machines all day for three days and produced copious amounts of high quality fluff that are ready to become LaunchPads.

Again, how did we get to the point where we are producing fluff? We have the tools, we have the people, and now we have the fluff. Even though we were still working out the kinks we produced a lot of fluff. As I write this I have been watching our manager, Daniel, work out some bugs the refiner is having. I’ve only had to help him once. He is currently teaching a team member to troubleshoot problems. As a restaurant manager, I found the two hardest things to find in a manager are someone who can quickly troubleshoot and train his colleagues. We have hitched our wagon to a star here with Daniel.

From banana fiber to fluff: our team and facility in action!

We will soon have more fluff than we know what to do with. Maybe we could manufacture pillows on the side? I have a few more ideas that I may be able to get done before I leave. They will speed up some of the process.

For all of our supporters, followers, and team members I have one last message: WE DID IT GUYS, THANKS TO YOU!

From Four Walls to Up and Running

Editor Note: Have you been dying to know what's been happening at our Ngoma production site? You can learn first-hand from Tyson Huffman, MacGyver-in-Residence, in our mini blog series in three parts. Today is Part 2 of 3. Missed Part 1? Read it here.

Sylvere, Julian, and Tyson at our Ngoma production facility

How did we get there? Sweat, determination, patience, and a little savvy thrown in for good measure. There were road bumps and unexpected issues but Marines know how to adapt and overcome. This is the mindset I brought to SHE.

We faced some initial challenges when I arrived to the production site. The first concrete we installed for the floor was unstable, like mud. We had to replace a motor. We then had to replace said motor because our electrician wired it incorrectly. Our initial water plan had to be revamped into a recycled water system. We’ve had to learn and improve the refiner. Our Fitz mill clogged every time we used it.

Newly installed water system

Some were easy and others were tough fixes. The water system was my favorite design of the project. We initially planned to let the water flow onto the floor and then outside into a 9 meter sump. (The guy dug this by hand. He must have the strongest back in the world.) It proved to be too much water and was just too messy. We dug a 1 meter deep sump at the base of the refiner, then built a grate over top of it and put a pump with a float inside. It required us to install another smaller tank to hold recycled water. I piped it in such a way that our team members never have to turn a valve or turn on a pump for it to work. Water rarely flows in Ngoma. This system ensures that we will never have to stop the process for lack of water.

Other problems proved to be easy fixes. We had no washers, so we used bottle tops. Our motor burned so we replaced it. We slightly altered the refiner to adapt it to fibers rather than wood pulp. When the Fitz Mill became clogged, we cut out two bars and it worked perfectly. Much of the equipment we use here does not exist so we manufactured it. We made steps and a platform for workers to stand on. A box was manufactured to catch pulp. The crates that the machine came in were used to make a large table for fiber cutting and a desk for our manager. We even used the nails.

We started this project with four walls and a plan. We have installed electricity, wired our machines, and placed them on concrete. In order to place the machines on concrete, we used 15 men and 2” x 4”. That was a feat. We have installed plumbing to the building, plumbed our machines, and installed two large tanks. A mission well accomplished!

Tune in tomorrow to learn about the successful replication of our fluff-making technology on an industrial-scale and meet our new SHE team members that work at our production facility!

Greetings from the Land of Thousand Hills!

Editor Note: Have you been dying to know what's been happening at our Ngoma production site? You can learn first-hand from Tyson Huffman, MacGyver-in-Residence, in our mini blog series in three parts. Read Part 1 of 3 today and stay tuned for the rest of the series!

Greetings from the Land of a Thousand Hills or as Rwandans say, the Land of a Thousand Beautiful People!

So how did I get here? It’s because Sustainable Health Enterprises realized that lack of access to affordable pads while menstruating is a big problem for girls and women in developing countries.  Women miss school and work for nearly 50 days a year.  This causes them to fall behind.  SHE decided that this was a major setback for women and decided to do something about it.

SHE came up with a plan to produce pads from banana fiber.  Banana fiber is a waste product of agriculture and therefore affordable to buy.  SHE enlisted the help of MIT and NC State who came up with a process to turn the banana fiber into a highly absorbent fluff using paper-making equipment.  The most amazing thing is that this patent-pending process uses no chemicals.  SHE proved they could make pads on a small-scale at both NCSU and Kigali Institute of Technology, but wanted to bring large-scale production so millions of girls and women in Rwanda can have access to its pads. So, it sent over equipment to Rwanda and were ready to set up shop.  This was no small task.  Now where could they find a guy that is bold enough to join and help SHE pull it off? 

Tyson, second from right, with Sylvere, second from left (in red)

That would be me, Tyson.  I seem to attract unique situations and people.  I’ve had a wild ride so far.  I am a former Marine, restaurant manager, and apple farmer. I’ve done a little construction, was a security guard, and worked as process engineer at a large paper mill.  I am currently a student at NC State in their Paper Science & Engineering and Chemical Engineering programs. 

I would be remiss if I did not also give a shout out to my right hand man, Sylvere, SHE’s Business Development Officer.  He has been my interpreter, guide, and friend since I first arrived in Kigali.  For the most part, we have been together every waking hour.  He taught me how to navigate the landscape of Rwanda, and I couldn’t have done it without him.  He is one of the most interesting and capable people I have ever met.  I have no doubt that we will be lifelong friends.

Stay tuned tomorrow to learn more from Tyson about our production site!

Dispatch from SHE's MacGyver: Getting Dirty for the Cause

Since our MacGyver-in-Residence Tyson Huffman has arrived at our production facility in Ngoma, SHE has been on the fast-track to mass production of our Launchpads. 

Tyson is applying his expertise in process engineering and operations management to set up our production site, test and validate our quality control and assurance manufacturing processes, and train our local technical team. And guess what? Tyson's latest dispatch declares that "We are on a roll!"

In just 3 short weeks, Tyson has hired three technicians (2 of whom are women) from the local vocational school, has brought our machinery online, led the minor re-construction of our facility, the installation of our water tank and electricity, and has begin a test run of processing our fiber into fluff!  

Building a production site means that you need to be ready to roll up your sleeves. Thankfully, SHE's Tyson and Sylvere have no problem getting dirty for the cause!

Sylvere (left) and Tyson (right) testing one of our machines.

Tyson is making our production site ready for manufacturing action! Stay tuned for upcoming dispatches from him!

Meet one of our ten pilot schools: Gs Gikaya

Gs Gikaya is one of the 10 schools that will be buying our pads during our industrial-scale pilot.  It's considered one of the model schools with girl-friendly sanitation facilities compared to many of the schools we have visited. This school is also renowned also for their warm welcoming.

A warm welcome from Gs Gikaya students!

When Nadia, Tash, and I arrived, we were welcomed by kids running towards you to receive you with a hug and sweet songs.

SHE will be providing Menstrual Health Management training at each of our ten pilot schools, but before we begin training, we needed to revisit the school campus so we can tailor our curriculum based on the school's sanitation facilities. 

Gs Giyaka is equipped with a girls' room that contains basic materials that a girl should use when she get her menses at school and is unprepared. Because this school is led by a woman, the issues of menstruation seem better well addressed than at other schools. The school teachers discuss the topic after class and instruct younger girls how to manage their menstruation, but challenges to fully support girls' menstrual needs still exist. 

SHE's Nadia with Gs Gikaya's headmistress in the school's girl's room

The headmistress reported that even though they have pads in stock to give to a girl who is unprepared when her period arrives, many of girls still don’t have means to purchase a pack of pads by themselves. Therefore, they sometimes try to game the system by having their friends ask for pads on their behalf so they can have enough products. Painkillers are also not available at school, so sometimes the headmistress allow girls to return home if they have too much pain. 

Supporting girls' menstrual needs at school will not be solved simply by providing access to more pads. That's why SHE is instigating at the national level to ensure that budgets and resources are increased at the school level, so girls will be provided increased access to education, menstrual products, and services.

I wonder whether schools led by women care more about menstruation issues or if it's just this school that makes an effort to support its girls and boys equally to help them stay in school. In any regard, we can't wait to learn more from the girls of Gs Gikaya!

- Gerardine, Marketing and Research Officer

SHE's MacGyver at work!

SHE's Macgyver-in-Residence Tyson Huffman is our lead technicians at our production site in Ngoma district. He is living out his title to the fullest when he RECLAIMED (sound familiar? It's one of SHE's vision words) beer bottle caps to serve as washers. Ingenuity at its best!

MacGyver in Residence, Now We’re Talking

August 2013

Cary, North Carolina

Who doesn’t like a little MacGyver in their work lives?  

Well, we at SHE have got one (minus the long hair).  Tyson is on his way to join Julian, Sylvere, and the rest of our team rolling out our pilot-industrial pad production in Ngoma, Rwanda.  Is he up for the task?  Absolutely!  His preparation is typical of SHE, that is unique and interesting, with years of pulp and paper science, the Marines, and North Carolina farming under his belt.  

SHE's actual MacGyver in Residence, Tyson Huffman

He’ll be pulling out all the stops helping the team with the consistency and quality of banana fiber pulp production and setting up the most efficient processes.  Don’t worry, he’s packed all the gum, shoe laces, and hangers to make anything work!

What's your BHAG?

As the Strategic Partnerships and Marketing Director, I am involved in executing several BHAGs – big hairy audacious goals, that is! One of my BHAGs is developing a kick-ass brand of our maxi-pad for SHE Rwanda along with my colleagues Julian and Gerardine.

Our first tool of our new brand identity will be our packaging. We are working with Kool Girl Posse on our brand logo and identity and they came up three concepts for us to test with girls and women. 

1.The first concept communicated our belief in debunking taboos;

2.The second concept communicated the uniqueness of reclaiming agro-waste and natural materials to produce a quality product;

3.The third concept communicated a key benefit linked to menstrual hygiene management.

I traveled to Rwanda in April and May to present these concepts to my colleagues and then to several groups of girls and women from rural and urban communities. 

The concepts and designs also sparked a spirited debate among the SHE team! Likewise, girls and young women responses were also overwhelmingly astute and positive. It was surprising to learn which design elements particularly resonated with girls and how they perceived our product.

A student takes a closer look at each brand concepts

The girls took our focus group session as seriously as an exam!

One lesson that I learned from the girls - don't be afraid to be bold in color! All you have to do is look around you to discover bright colors are everywhere!

 

We also learned how greatly important the use of symbols and imagery for instruction and education. Our challenge is to find universally known symbols and imagery that will translate in many geographies. 

Our updated concept will aim to achieve better clarity about the product and its benefits, while also simplifying the information needed for healthy menstrual hygiene. The most important thing we learned from the girls and women is that our brand must speak to the girls’ desire to live life normally – girls need assurance that menstruation should not break the rhythm of their day to day lives.

Stay tuned to see how we continue to develop our new brand identity for our maxi-pad and better yet, for the debut of our brand and packaging!