Three women tech entrepreneurs providing sexual reproductive solutions during COVID-19

On June President Uhuru Kenyatta called for a multi-sectoral partnership approach to tame the rapidly increase in Gender Based Violence (GBV) happening in homes, mental health and instances of teenage pregnancies.

While these cases are commonly attributed to financial constraints that may lead to transactional ‘sex for pads’ and ‘sex for fish’ that is rampant in women and girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, Genesis Care, Inteco Kenya ARI and MumsVillage have been at the forefront in mitigating these issues.

In 2018, the Graça Machel Trust, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Kenya and Nairobi Incubation Lab (NAILAB) organized the ‘I AM 2.0 initiative’ business contest that rewarded the top three women innovators USD 10,000 to scale up their innovative solutions. The partners continue to nurture them.

Here are the finalists and their different ventures:

1. Genesis Care

Genesis Care focuses on production, distribution and disposal of all things sanitary pads. They deal in manufacturing disposable and eco-friendly adult diapers, sanitary pads, sanitary pad dispensers and sanitary pad incinerators. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Kenya, the company has been at the forefront in coming up with innovative ways of disposing sanitary pads and PPE kits, masks and gloves to preserve our environment through their incinerators. The menstrual hygiene incinerators are very essential in disposing off used sanitary towels that are overflowing in latrines hence posing a threat to our environment, hygiene and at times even access to clean and safe water.  https://genesiscare.co.ke/   

2. MumsVillage

MumVillage is a vibrant online abuse-support platform  that provides a safe space for African mothers going through emotional or physical abuse to share their predicaments and seek legal and psychosocial support. Through peer to peer interaction, the social support network leverages technology to empower women in making informed choices for the health and wellbeing of their families through access to information, support and products most relevant to them.

3. Ari

Ari invented the Ari Pad ATM dispenser that offers children in schools access to a sanitary pad with a unique ID card. Founded under the mother company, Inteco Kenya Limited, Ari also focuses on sanitary pads distribution services as well as menstrual health education to adolescents across Kenya. The sanitary pads distribution is done through the ARI vending machine, which is mounted at accessible locations and dispenses single pack pads triggered through coin purchase of the sanitary pads.