• About
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Support The African Dream
The African Dream
No Result
View All Result
Saturday, September 30, 2023
  • News
    Uganda

    For Failing To Accept LGBTQ+, World Bank Stops Lending Money To Uganda

    Mali and Burkina Faso

    Mali, Burkina Faso, sends delegation to Niger in solidarity

    Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine

    Niger junta appoints new prime minister

    Breaking: Boeing Is Said Close To Issuing 737 Max Warning After Crash

    BREAKING: 189 people on downed Lion Air flight, ministry says

    Crashed Lion Air Jet Had Faulty Speed Readings on Last 4 Flights

    Trending Tags

    • Commentary
    • Featured
    • Event
    • Editorial
  • Politics
  • World
  • Opinion
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Change Makers
The African Dream
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Politics
  • World
  • Opinion
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Change Makers
Home Inspiring African Stories

Freweini Mebrahtu – The woman behind ending social taboo in Ethiopia

by Abu Bakarr Jalloh
October 5, 2022
in Inspiring African Stories
0
Freweini Mebrahtu – The woman behind ending social taboo in Ethiopia
77
SHARES
1.3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Whatsapp

BY SUMUR TSEHAYE

Freweini Mebrahtu is an Ethiopian innovator who brought access to safe, hygienic and affordable reusable menstrual pads to her country.

Freweini, who came from a poor family, was born in Ethiopia, where menstrual hygiene is a major challenge for women and girls.

This is because pads are difficult to find outside the country’s main cities, forcing most women and girls in rural areas to use rags and other inappropriate absorbents.

According to UNICEF’s research, menstruation is considered shameful in larger parts of the country, Africa’s second populace country.

As a result most girls fear being discovered and teased, often by boys, and prefer to skip school during menstruation period and eventually drop out of school to only get married early age.

In 2005, the Ethiopian innovator, who studied chemical engineering in the United States, designed and patented reusable sanitary pad which could be used for up to 2 years with proper care.

Freweini then founded the Mariam Saba Sanitary Products company in Mekele, Tigray Region, which produces about 750,000 pads a year and went on to help hundreds of thousands of women and girls as a result.

Her mission was that “every girl and woman in Ethiopia should have access to safe, hygienic and affordable menstrual pads”

After, she fought for over 13 years to dismantle an age-old social stigma and cultural taboo on menstruation, her efforts start to payoff.

In 2019, Freweini won CNN’s Hero of the Year award for her activism in improving girls’ access to education.

Her actions currently changing the lives of girls in Africa’s second most populace country of 120 million population.

The pads are sold through NGOs around the country at a cost of less than half a dollar.

“I remembered (hearing) that it’s actually a curse to have a period … or that it meant I am ready to be married, or (that) I’m being bad” she said speaking from her own experience which drove her to design the reusable sanitary pads.

Freweini says she wants to similarly break the silence in other African countries.

“We really want to make this [social stigma] an issue of the past for the rest of Africa and beyond”

READ ALSO

From not having enough money for food to being the first Kenyan to go to space

From surviving a horrific plane crash to an MBA graduate with distinction

Tags: Freweini Mebrahtu

Related Posts

Wanjiku Chebet Kanjumba
Inspiring African Stories

From not having enough money for food to being the first Kenyan to go to space

September 25, 2023
Kechi Okwuchi
Inspiring African Stories

From surviving a horrific plane crash to an MBA graduate with distinction

September 26, 2023
Nigerian Teenager Honored with British Council Outstanding Cambridge Learner’s Award
Inspiring African Stories

Nigerian Teenager Honored with British Council Outstanding Cambridge Learner’s Award

September 13, 2023
South African man who worked as a gateman to pay his tuition fees, bags degree in Education with 17 distinctions
Inspiring African Stories

South African man who worked as a gateman to pay his tuition fees, bags degree in Education with 17 distinctions

September 12, 2023
Meet Ifeoma Bibiana Okoli: The first-ever blind person to bag PhD at University of Ibadan
Inspiring African Stories

Meet Ifeoma Bibiana Okoli: The first-ever blind person to bag PhD at University of Ibadan

September 12, 2023
Meet The Family Of Five Nigerian Sisters Who All Became Medical Doctors
Inspiring African Stories

Meet The Family Of Five Nigerian Sisters Who All Became Medical Doctors

September 12, 2023
Next Post
Sierra Leone’s Afro-fusion Singer Mello Seven Announces Release Date For His First Ever Album “Wonders”

Sierra Leone’s Afro-fusion Singer Mello Seven Announces Release Date For His First Ever Album “Wonders”

POPULAR NEWS

University of Sierra Leone

University of Sierra Leone Ranked Among Top Universities In Sub-Saharan Africa 2023

July 21, 2023
The Ugly and Frustrating Side Of Being A COMAHS Student – Anonymous Student

The Ugly and Frustrating Side Of Being A COMAHS Student – Anonymous Student

August 21, 2023
Albert D. Bangura

Brilliant Sierra Leonean Bags Overall Best Graduating Student In Cyprus University

July 15, 2023
Sam Bangura

Sam Bangura: The Bank Governor Who Died For Defying Orders From The President

July 17, 2023
Sierra Leone Police arrest senior military officers over plot to undermine democracy

Sierra Leone Police arrest senior military officers over plot to undermine democracy

August 2, 2023

EDITOR'S PICK

Ramarni Wilfred

Meet The Black Teen Genius With An IQ Higher Than Bill Gates And Albert Einstein

January 4, 2023
Sibongile Manganyi-Rath

How Sibongile Manganyi-Rath went from a vegetable seller on the streets of South Africa to a multi-million dollar business owner

December 5, 2022

Nominations For The 2022 African Genius Awards Are Open!

December 16, 2021
Madagascar minister ‘swims’ 12 hours to safety

Madagascar minister ‘swims’ 12 hours to safety

December 22, 2021

Read More

About – The African Dream

The African Dream is a groundbreaking digital media platform that has emerged as a powerful catalyst for change, showcasing inspiring, positive, and compelling stories from across the African continent.

Follow us

Categories

Recent Posts

  • Mom Of 7 Is The First Black Person To Earn A Ph.D. In Survey Methodology
  • Mary Eliza Mahoney: The First Trained Black Nurse in America
  • World’s Oldest Living Woman Celebrates Her 117th Birthday
  • Belford Vance Lawson Jr: The First African American To Win A Supreme Court Case
  • About Us
  • Meet The Team
  • Support The African Dream
  • Contact Us

© 2023 The African Dream Sl.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Meet The Team
  • News
    • Recent News
  • Support The African Dream
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us

© 2023 The African Dream Sl.

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?

STAY CONNECTED BY SUBSCRIBING TO OUR FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER

You have successfully subscribed to the newsletter

There was an error while trying to send your request. Please try again.

The African Dream will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing.