Lindiwe Sanitary Pads, a South African entrepreneur, started in 2015 after hearing about the taboo and stigma surrounding menstrual hygiene. The company, which now supplies the South African government's National Sanitary Dignity Programme in four provinces, aims to combat period poverty by providing sanitary pads to 10,000 girls annually. Nkuna-Kgopa, who started the business in 2018, felt it was unfair that women were only end-users of sanitary pads and decided to be active in the menstrual economy.
Initially, funders turned down her applications due to her lack of manufacturing background and lack of technical know-how. However, Nkuna-Kgopa, an entrepreneur with previous experience in marketing and accounting, took the rejection in stride and focused on branding, packaging, and distributing sanitary pads purchased from external manufacturers.
Nkuna-Kgopa learned that being product-ready and having greater access to markets is costly and requires knowledge. UN Women South Africa Multi-Country Office (SAMCO) and NAMA Women Advancement implemented business coaching and mentoring workshops to equip Nkuna-Kgopa and other businesswomen with essential skills for running profitable and sustainable businesses. She is also one of the entrepreneurs on UN Women's Buy From Women platform, which links clients who want to procure from women-owned entrepreneurs with suppliers.
Nkuna-Kgopa attended the Africa Women in Trade Conference and Expo in Cape Town in 2022, where she met a major client who not only bought a large supply of Lindiwe Sanitary Pads products but will also push out the products into the rest of the African continent. The contact enabled her to meet clients who took an interest in the business and provided letters of intent that unlocked funding for Lindiwe Sanitary Pads to build a 3,500sqm factory.
The business is currently procuring South Africa's second-largest sanitary pads manufacturing machine, which will produce 850 units per minute. Nkuna-Kgopa highlights that automating the manufacturing process will not kill these jobs but grow the company's output and revenue, allowing these women to be more securely and sustainably employed in other areas of the company. The machine is much-needed as Lindiwe Sanitary Pads expands its reach from supplying wholesalers and independent pharmacies to two major retailers' house brands.
