Blandine Umuziranenge, a Rwandan social entrepreneur focused on improving reproductive, maternal and child health in Africa — Lionesses of Africa
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What inspired you to start your company?
Social stigma and cultural taboos about menstruation contribute to girls and women missing school and work in Rwanda. From the 2016 research by Sustainable Health Enterprises, 18% of women and girls in Rwanda miss work or school because they can’t afford to buy menstrual pads. This amounts to a potential GDP loss of $215 per woman every year in our country. The consequences of this hidden topic of women’s body and school absence during periods took another level due to the pandemic and their combined impact will result to destroying girls’ life-chances by lowering performance, lack of confidence, increasing grade repetition, pregnancy risk and dropout, which will negatively affect women’s health and economic growth.
Looking at the alternative solution on the Rwandan market, each disposable pad contains the equivalent of 4 plastic bags. It is estimated that each disposable pad takes between 500-800 years to decompose, and that on an average a woman could use up to 10,000 sanitary pads from menarche to menopause. Over 10 million non-compostable sanitary pads make their way into the sewage system and pollute land and water bodies in Rwanda every month. However most disposable pads, especially those containing superabsorbent polymers, don’t decompose; instead, they break down into small pieces of plastic and contaminate the soil, water and air, eventually entering the food chain.
We strive to end period poverty since 18% of girls and women in Rwanda miss school or work because they can’t afford to buy menstrual hygiene products. This same issue of period poverty affects 1 out of 4 girls and women in sub-Saharan Africa; 128 million girls if we put it in numbers. So, the way we address it matters. If we stop raising our voices about this issue, the number of school dropouts will increase, which will increase pervasive economic inequality.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
KosmoPads is the only cost-effective, super absorbent, eco-friendly menstrual hygiene solution, priced at US$5 and lasting for 2 years. Women in Rwanda typically spend $2-3 per month on menstrual products. KosmoPads are reusable for 2 years, toxin-free, breathable, and comfortable, and are available in convenient places, and represent an incredible 88% savings over the course of their use. They also come with an information platform to educate women and girls about menstrual and reproductive health. We have built a community around our product, which creates a continuous impact. We offer repeat customers new reusable pads at half price when they bring back their old pads at the end of their lifecycle. We recycle them into other needed products to prevent them being improperly disposed of.
Tell us a little about your team:
With our 29 years combined experience in women’s health, manufacturing and circular business modeling, and 5 years of being the leading manufacturer of reusable sanitary pads in Rwanda, Kosmotive promotes Feminine Freedom despite the Flow. Blandine Umuziranenge, Rwandan female, is the Founder and CEO of Kosmotive since 2014, improving health. Early in her career she worked at Rwanda Broadcasting Agency and Contact FM radio. She holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Social Innovation Management, a bachelor’s degree in business information and communication technology and an Advanced Diploma in Information Technology. Her twelve years of experience combine Information Technology, Photojournalism, Script writing, Publishing, Social Entrepreneurship and Circular Business Modeling. Blandine is an awards winner including the Youth Connekt Africa 2019 Girls in Innovation Award and the Invest2Impact Africa 2019 Women’s Empowerment Award.
Opportune Uwacu Tumukunde, Rwandan female, is the Operations and Finance Manager since 2020 handling projects implementation, financial and HR management. She holds a Diploma in Operations Management and a bachelor’s degree in engineering.
Ishimwe K.Jean Nepo, Rwandan male, is the Chief Technology and Supply Chain Manager since 2021 holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Information Technology.
Akayo Quinto Mediatrice, Rwandan female, is the Sales and Marketing Executive since 2022 managing all our projects mobilization and ensuring sustainable sales. She holds an A’Level Certificate in Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science as well as professional certificates in sales and marketing.
Berthine Uwanyiribambe, Rwandan female, is the Partnerships and Business Development Officer since 2023 building new partnerships, sustaining existing ones and bringing in new business opportunities in Kosmotive. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Healthcare Management with concentration in Global Perspectives.
We have 19 in the production including the Production Manager, 1 Inventory Manager and 1 in IT and Communications. We have 5 sales representatives in all provinces of Rwanda.
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