Episode 15: Natasha’s Solution to Improve Menstrual Health in Uganda

In this episode, Kristine Vanderahe, HerStart Programs and Partnership Fellow in Uganda, speaks with Natasha Ruth, founder of Dhaiffe Solutions – a social enterprise that makes reusable sanitary napkins. Natasha discusses her goal of improving menstrual health and solving period poverty for young women and girls in her community.  

Transcript

Introduction: 0:04

Welcome to Youth Challenge International's HerStart HerStory podcast series. Youth Challenge International, or YCI launched the HerStart I nnovate the Future Program in 2020 as part of our initiative to advance women's equality globally. Our goal is to provide 10,000 women in Ghana, Tanzania, and Uganda with t he resources and supports they need to successfully launch and grow t heir social businesses. We a re sharing real stories of young women who a re leading change in t heir communities. YCI's HerStart Innovate The Future Program is funded i n part by the Government of Canada to progress Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy. L earn m ore a t yci. org o r herstart. org.

Interviewer - Kristy: 1:02

Hello everyone, my name is Kristen and I'm a Programs and Partnerships Fellow with Youth Challenge International's, HerStart program in Uganda. Today I am speaking to Natasha about her business Dhaiffe Pads. Natasha is a participant in the HerStart Grow Your Social Venture program. This program helps young women entrepreneurs to grow their social and environmental impact through business skills, coaching, mentorship, and training. Natasha is also recipient of HerStart's Catalyst Fund. The funding provides women-led ventures with critical funding that can help them thrive. Hi Natasha, thank you so much for joining me today. To get started, would you mind introducing yourself and telling me a little bit about your business?

Interviewee - Natasha Ruth: 1:46

Hi Kristine. Thank you for hosting me. My name is Natasha Ruth. I'm 24 years old. I'm a Ugandan, I'm a Ugandan from Kamwokya. I'm a married woman with one boy. I grew up from Taja District with my grandma. My business, Dhaiffe Solutions is solving a problem of period poverty and poor menstruating women and girls and in both rural and urban areas, especially in slum communities, and, I'm passionate about menstrual hygiene management and supporting the girls to stay in school.

Interviewer - Kristy: 2:41

I really like the name of your business, Dhaiffe Pads. Does it have a special meaning?

Interviewee - Natasha Ruth: 2:46

Yes, of course it has. Dhaiffe means"Ours","Our Pad","Our Solution". I wanted me and you Kristine and everyone out there to own the problem, to own the solution, and then to own the products. Yeah. I wanted me and you to feel that what we are doing belongs to us.

Interviewer - Kristy: 3:11

Where did the inspiration for this business come from?

Interviewee - Natasha Ruth: 3:14

When my mom and dad, they separated, my mom decided to go with us to Terego District. That's where she was born. She left me with my grandmom. She left him there with my grandmom, so while in the village. Uh, I had challenges with my education due to lack of sanitary towels and my grandmother could not afford to buy sanitary towels. Well, at school she saw she could cut her Gomesi, and the bedsheet, we, we could use that to pad ourselves. So when you lose it, you would not go to school. And uh, this made me miss lessons. I could take a week without going to school. It became so hard that I missed exams and repeated a class. Uh, my cousins also dropped out of schools and got married because their parents, they could not afford to provide for them sanitary pads. And even at the moment, many girls drop out of schools, when you ask them, this is what they say:"it's better to be pregnant","To become pregnant than suffering with periods". You can imagine a young girl, to tell you that, to tells you that it's better to become pregnant than suffering a period poverty. So we need to change the mindset of our young girls. Yeah. Some of them also, they use unhygenic materials like, mattress, banana fibers and book papers. One day also used, uh, news, news old papers to pad off. And we do that because we don't have the knowledge. We, we don't know what what will come through it after using it. So when I saw that this problem was continuous and affecting us, uh, people, I thought about a solution. I thought about providing for them something affordable, long lasting, eco-friendly. That's why I came up with Dhaiffe resuable sanitary pads because I knew my people,uh, people cannot afford to buy sanitary towels and we needed to bring for them something which is affordable and long lasting.

Interviewer - Kristy: 6:26

After coming up with this business and deciding to become a social entrepreneur, can you tell me a little bit about how you got started?

Interviewee - Natasha Ruth: 6:35

Uh, at first I came up with the name, the name Dhaiffe and the logo, you know, on our logo we use a moon. In our local language, when you are in period, we say that[Word in local language]. [ Word in local language] means moon. Yeah, we came up the local because I was sure that what I had started would last forever. After that, I asked my husband to help me with 100,000 shillings, that's Uganda money. Uh, he gave it to me. I had someone already started making reusable sanitary pads. I approached her and bought some pads. I came back and put my logo. I started moving around and telling people, uh, Natasha Ruth, I'm making resusable sanitary pads from Kamwokya because of a, b, c, d Period Poverty. Yes. And the good thing that I started moving around, people, they bought the pads. I felt so good and it gives me the strength to continue. When my husband saw me that, I was serious on what I'm doing, he bought me a sewing machine. Well he bought me a sewing machine to use to start sewing the reusable pads.

Interviewer - Kristy: 8:21

After facing all of these challenges, how did the Catalyst Fund help with your business?

Speaker 3: 8:28

The Catalyst Fund came in the right time. The owner of the machine, she called me. She wanted to take away her machine cause she had the customers and she needed to use her machine. So I gave back the machine to her. In between there, since I was making pads and I had nothing to use, three to four days I received money from Catalyst Fund. Immediately I was like, God, you have answered me. I went i n the town. I bought two machines and some materials f rom c otton, the material we used to make reusable sanitary pads and some of the equipment, snap buttons, snap machines. Yeah, it helped me.

Interviewer - Kristy: 9:19

Can you tell us a little bit about where your business is now?

Speaker 3: 9:23

Yeah. So far we have sold 400 pads. Remember we started last year in October, 2021, but right now we have sold 400 reusable pads. We have trained 10 people who are also doing their own businesses. Recently we organized a concert in[inaudible] and wanted, I wanted money to buy for school going girls pads and I will be the supplier. I'm so, I'm so excited. I'm waiting. I'm going to be the supplier. People within the community right now, they know our product and they are using it. Women are using our product. This gives me a strength to move on. Leaders in the community also consider me because of my social enterprise. I have participated in exhibitions, even also been radio stations in Jinja and even in Kampala.

Interviewer - Kristy: 10:41

Your product is focused on women and girls. Was having a female centered product important to you?

Interviewee - Natasha Ruth: 10:48

Yeah, it makes sense because, I'm passionate about ministry hygiene management and even as a woman, I know what other women go through.

Interviewer - Kristy: 11:01

So where do you see Dhaiffe Pads in the future? What would you like to accomplish in the next three years?

Interviewee - Natasha Ruth: 11:08

Dhaiffe Pads will be in schools, especially in[inaudible] and in[inaudible] plus small shops. Why am I saying that? In[inaudible] District is where I grew up from and I know exactly what young girls are going through. In[inaudible] there is a young girl, she's a grandmom, At our age! In[inaudible] is where I come from. So I believe in three years our products will be there.

Interviewer - Kristy: 11:42

After going through this journey, what message do you have for the HerStart and YCI team?

Interviewee - Natasha Ruth: 11:49

Before getting the Catalyst fund, a team from YCI, Youth C hallenge International. They trained me, they mentored me and eventually g ave me money to add to my business. I thank people from HerStart. I thank you so much for bringing my idea to reality and I thank them. I thank them for supporting women in other countries. It's so great and what I can promise, I will not let you down. That dream you brought to reality will not die. Thank you for supporting Dhaiffe Solutions. M ay the all mighty God bless y ou.

Interviewer - Kristy: 12:41

Thank you so much, Natasha, for taking the time to speak with us today and share your story. It's been a pleasure listening to you.

Interviewee - Natasha Ruth: 12:48

Thank you.

Closing: 12:55

Thanks for joining us today and learning about how Youth Challenge International has partnered with young women to advance gender equality globally and create a social entrepreneurship ecosystem with the positive impact for all. If you enjoy this HerStart, Innovate the Future podcast episode, please subscribe and share our episodes on social media. A special thanks to the fellows that volunteered their time in Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda, who help create these episodes. YCI's HerStart Innovate the Future and fellowship programs are funded through the Government of Canada's volunteer cooperation program, providing skilled Canadians opportunities to volunteer with global partners and advance Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy. Join us in thousands of young people around the globe creating a better future together. Learn more at yci.org or herstart.org.