International Women's Day: Celebrating region's bold achievers

East Africa’s bold achievers. ILLUSTRATION|JOHN NYAGA 

By THE EASTAFRICAN

In Summary

• #BeBoldForChange is more than just a slogan for this year’s Women’s International Day. Most women in East Africa have lived this slogan all their lives, their ages and chosen life paths notwithstanding.

The United Nations’ International Women’s Day celebrated on March 8 has over the years evolved into the Women’s History Month, and used to highlight the contributions of women to society. Under this year’s theme of #BeBoldForChange, we bring you profiles of women in East Africa whose ...
initiatives and creations have changed their communities.

#BeBoldForChange is more than just a slogan for this year’s Women’s International Day. Most women in East Africa have lived this slogan all their lives, their ages and chosen life paths notwithstanding. Their profiles tell it all.

The women’s warrior

Jennifer Shigoli, 29, lawyer/change agent

Jennifer Shigoli. ILLUSTRATION|JOHN NYAGA

Jennifer Shigoli recalls her first day of work at a leading law firm as unexciting, and it prompted her to quit a promising career in Law within days to sell home-made liquid soap.

Her parents frowned on the idea. To show their displeasure at her decision, they withdrew their financial support. Desperate, she used her meagre savings to register Malkia Investment Company and started making and packing liquid soap for sale to public schools that could not afford to buy from established manufacturers. She even offered toilet cleaning lessons to sustain sales.

Her client base eventually grew to 200 schools in two years, but she stumbled on a more serious problem. Girls were missing school and the teachers had no explanation for it.

After talking with the girls directly, she says; “They told me that whenever they had their menses and with no proper sanitary towels, they were scared to come to school because boys teased them when they stained their uniforms.”

With the money she had saved from the soap business, Shigoli commissioned professional researchers to understand the seriousness of the problem.

The survey found that 60 per cent of the girls polled skipped school during their menses and 80 per cent had never used modern sanitary pads.

“I sensed a business opportunity, if I could provide a solution that was cheaper and friendly to the environment,” Shigoli recalls.

After six months of working with local tailors, she developed a prototype of a sanitary pad made of a reusable underwear-like shroud to be used with a soft disposable cloth (pad).

The shroud costs Tsh6,000 ($2) and comes with a pack of pads made of biodegradeable cotton cloth from locally sourced cotton and some imported from Kenya.

Almost a year after the idea was conceived, the sanitary products have become a household name in Tanzania, and got government approval. Shigoli has won the African Entrepreneurship Award and was named one of Africa’s most promising entrepreneurs, winning $150,000 which she pumped back into the business. She has 20 full time employees and hopes to have 200 in two years.

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