You know you have met someone extraordinary when they are doing something ordinary but do it in such a way that it will never be the same again.
Joseph and Lesego Mpyana are two such people.
These Ballito-ites have launched a business that’s very reason for existence is to end ‘period poverty’, first in South Africa, and then the world (yes, just like Pinky and The Brain).
What is period poverty?
One in 10 girls in Africa miss up to a week of classes every month or drop out of school because they cannot afford feminine hygiene products.
‘Period Poverty’ has been a catchphrase for a long time, and it is a very real problem in South Africa. Basically a period should end a sentence, not a girl’s education.
Yet a million pad drives are not going to stem the red tide.
To be sustainable you would have to return every month to the same girls to provide them with the products they need.
No matter how many pads you collect, it is still a great deal of effort for very little gain.
But what if you could give every girl one inexpensive feminine hygiene product that would last them 10 years?
Now that would be a game-changer.
Not only would they be able to go to school every day, but the environment would be saved from the landfills of products that until now were unavoidable.
The product itself is not new.
The first menstrual cup was invented by an American actor, Leona Chalmers, who patented her runner cup in 1937!
Why am I only hearing about this now?
Us women in Africa are seriously behind the times.
Ok, I had heard of a ‘Mooncup’ but it sounded so odd and hippy-like that I had not tried to find out more.
The concept is radically simple. It’s a small flexible funnel-shaped cup made of silicone that can be used for up to 12 hours at a time before being washed and reused. I could pretend the attraction for me is in saving the environment, but think how much money I will save!
Enter Joseph and Lesego with their company ‘Move Africa’.
They supply these products to corporates looking to invest in communities through their Corporate Social Investment (CSI) and they do the education on the ground with the girls.
I met with these big thinking world-changers recently to find out how they tick.
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