Bamisaye Folasade: I want to promote menstrual hygiene for girls and women
[bctt tweet=”I realised that I can impact my community without being rich – Bamisaye Folasade” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Meet Bamisaye Folasade, a social entrepreneur who is passionate about menstrual hygiene for girls and women of reproductive age. She is an example that you can effectively do business while solving social problems. Bamisaye has over 8 years experience improving psycho-social wellbeing of girls and women at the grassroots. She is the founder of Young Women Arise an organisation with the goal to give power to girls and women. It’s meant for them to be able to make right and informed decision about their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Right (SRHR). Through this project, Bamisaye has trained over 1600 girls and young women at the grassroots. She is also the curator of Ablaze Ladies Camp which provides participants with the needed skills for them to make informed decision about their SRHR. Bamisaye is also the brain behind MyPeriod Kit, an innovative product that aims to increase access to menstrual hygiene and help keep girls in school during their periods. How did you get involved in women health advocacy? I am driven by my passion for community and human development, as well as a strong desire to make a positive change. Right from childhood, I have always wanted to be a philanthropist so I can help the vulnerable people in the area of education, health, and poverty. But I reasoned that I could only do so when I get wealthy. As I grew older I began to gather information on how I can start impacting my community without being rich. I then began to understand what volunteerism is all about. In 2009 I became a full-time volunteer, working on issues of women and young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. My first major experience was on PACT/USAID supported REACH project in Ekiti State. You recently launched a new product, MyPeriod Kit, tell us about it? Yes… that is MyPeriod Kit and I am so excited about it. MyPeriod Kit is the first product with a compilation of sanitary materials for young girls and women of reproductive age in Nigeria and the West Africa sub-region. The product aims to promote menstrual hygiene and healthy transition into womanhood for girls and women of reproductive age especially those residing in under-served communities. The justification for having MyPeriod Kit is that girls and women residing in under-served areas around Nigeria are faced with huge challenge of coping with their menstrual period hygienically. Women and girls’ capacity to manage their periods is affected by factors, including limited access to affordable hygienic sanitary materials and disposal options. This has led many girls and women to manage their periods ineffectively, uncomfortably and unhygienically. Young girls and women in rural areas tend to opt for natural materials such as mud, leaves, dung or animal skins to manage the menstrual flow due to inadequate knowledge about puberty education, access to affordable sanitary materials as well as poor menstrual hygiene management. This is in addition to insufficient access to safe and private toilets and lack of clean water and soap for personal hygiene. As a result, menstruating girls and women often feel ashamed and embarrassed. How have you been able to manage entrepreneurship and advocacy efficiently? My sister, I will say it has not been an easy task. This is especially when coupled with the fact that I am also an employee. But you know what happens when determination meets passion and grace, then you can consider challenges as a piece of cake. My passion for girls and women’s general well-being keeps me going. [bctt tweet=”When determination meets passion and grace, challenges are a piece of cake” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Can you share a story on your toughest day/period? Hmmm… the life of a development worker coupled with being an entrepreneur cannot always be a bed of roses. Each day comes with its own unique toughness in different forms. So it is really difficult for me to isolate a day out as my toughest day. However, if we say period then I can say the toughest period in my life was between 2014/2015. I was running my Masters degree full-time, working full-time and also setting up a new NGO in a new environment in that period. I only had a few staff to work with, so the work was so enormous. And I still had to study hard to have good grades. That period was so challenging but grace and passion were at work in my life. What do you recommend to other women based on your experiences? It is never too late to start being productive and resourceful. Whatever positive things you dream of doing, believe me, you can achieve it. Seize the moment now that international organizations are advocating for huge investment to be made in girls and women. Try to make something meaningful out of life, invest in yourself and in others. What are the misconceptions/myth on women’s health you’d like to debunk? That menstruating is a taboo or a dirty process. This myth has for long put girls and women in a position of being discriminated against to the extent that in some society menstruating girls and women are barred from participating in religious exercises. Also, girls in school are forced to stay at home while their male counterparts stay in school to learn. Menstruation is a biological process that girls must undergo. It is the onset of womanhood and thus must be appreciated and treated with dignity and the highest level of hygiene. Menstruation in itself is not dirty, but the process must be undergone hygienically. What are your plans for your product/business? MyPeriod Kit is a work in progress. In the coming years, we plan to reach more girls and women of reproductive age with menstrual hygiene supplies that are hygienically packed to meet their specific needs at an affordable rate. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and
Feruz Gebremeskel: This lawyer & entrepreneur is building a platform to reverse Africa’s brain drain
Meet Feruz Gebremeskel. She prosecuted criminal defendants in courts of law, produced and directed movies performed songs that inspired many, graduated with honors. She is a researcher, JSD candidate and the founder & CEO of two social enterprises. Is there anything that this woman can’t do? “Be open-minded but skeptic at the same time. Ask questions and demand answers”, Feruz Gebremeskel often says. When it comes to challenges, she has never been crestfallen, has never stopped aspiring to change the world. “When we face a challenge, I think our primary task should be, to begin with asking good questions. Because almost all of the time these questions eventually lead to great answers and solutions to the problem at hand.” And so, ever since she was young, Feruz has worked hard to stand up, speak out, and become an incredible inspiration. Feruz was born and raised in Eritrea. The early years of her life were during the Eritrean War for Independence, in which the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) fought against the Ethiopian Government. This war lasted well into the early 90s. After Eritrea had gained independence, Feruz finished most of her schooling in Asmara, the capital city of Eritrea. Having a childhood during wartime increased Feruz’s interest in justice. She studied law at the University of Asmara, graduated and worked as a prosecutor at the Attorney General’s office of the country. In 2009, she relocated to the United States to pursue her studies, but her heart and soul continue to breathe for her African roots. Where do you currently find yourself as a student and entrepreneur? Could you tell us more about the two social platforms you have founded and run as the CEO? Presently, I am a researcher, currently working towards my Doctorate of the Science of Law (JSD) at St. Thomas University of Miami, Florida. My research focuses on Law, innovation & technology. My plans include working in the field of social enterprise law, artificial intelligence, and animated innovation or robotics. I think the world of intellectual property law in the future of self-driving cars, internet of things and artificial intelligence is going to be pretty interesting. So I am looking forward to indulging myself into this adventure. One may have several talents that he/she could offer to the world. If all these qualities can be integrated and directed to serve one main goal, I think that a lot can be achieved. When I make films, songs, do research or found organizations, all of these activities are aimed towards one big goal, the promotion of human rights and dignity. For example, in 2013, I put together a short film called Dilemma. The story was about a wedding counselor who falls in love with one of her clients. But there was much more to it than that. There is a discussion of cultural practices, women’s rights, and moral code. In 2014, I also worked alongside Raee Productions to direct and produce a compilation of short films entitled Ab Asmara which highlighted the struggles and hopes of Eritrean refugees and immigrants. I have always been fascinated by how the sharing economy markets (when formed and maintained properly) can positively change the world. They create micro-entrepreneurs, more jobs and can potentially stabilize the global economy. The inspiration for creating native apples & AfroPros come from this way of thinking. I wanted to create systems where social capital is valued and being who you are is celebrated. What inspired you to form Afro Pros? Human capital flight is one of the major issues that is draining Africa. We have to work harder in creating sustainable political and social systems so that the push factors for unnecessary immigration are stopped. While working on that, we also should get creative and find smart ways to utilize these intelligent minds we’re consistently losing to the western world. AfroPros was created in support of this idea. I aim to use Afro Pros as a way to reverse the ‘brain drain’ that continues to grip Africa and make the future brighter for the continent than ever before. I work as the CEO and founder, and I consider myself fortunate to work alongside incredible professionals throughout Africa and in the diaspora due to war, social instability, and uncertain economy. Through AfroPros, these professionals get valuable connections abroad by using the flexibility of the gig economy. So, what would you say is your ultimate goal for both Afro Pros and Native Apples? I want Afro Pros to be a center where organizations —government, non-governmental, or businesses— could refer to appropriate and relevant services that represent and promote sustainable development in Africa. Native Apples looks at the issues I hope to combat with a different lens. With Native Apples, I asked myself, ‘What can I do as a native that no one else can?’ I realized that I had a heritage that others may be interested in. Then I thought, what if others could use their unique cultural practices as a side hustle? So the main highlights of Native Apples are sustainable travel, global citizenship, and authentic experiences. Native Apples allows people throughout the world to buy, sell, or rent ‘native’ services and products —like, for example, learning native languages or sitting in on a coffee ceremony. [bctt tweet=”Sometimes people overestimate the state’s power while underestimating individual change makers” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Sometimes, people overestimate the state’s power and political will to protect or respect human rights while underestimating individual change makers to have a similar or even more positive effect. The Native Apples platform highlights the latter; it gives people the opportunity to do good in the world and help others to succeed. For example, some members used the platform to raise funds for refugees in need of immediate assistant by hosting a food party. By raising the necessary funds and spreading the word they are protecting refugee rights (one of the fundamental basic human rights). There is a tango master who teaches classes. In 2009, UNESCO listed tango as