Salma: A tale of sanitary napkin business journey

Salma had a really rough childhood and never dreamed of a better existence. At the age of fifteen, she was married. The husband's family was not affluent, and she tried to earn something that would help their family. She had a garment vending business, which was not very profitable. She set up a small tailoring shop. Customers were either sewing their clothes or purchasing their ready-made garments. Salma found the business to be both pleasant and lucrative, and she rose to prominence in her community. Her ten-year tale was told here.

Early in 2022, Hope for the Poorest (HP) ’s colleagues talked with her about the sanitary napkin business. At first, Salma was shy and reluctant to discuss the issue. The next day, she was informed why sanitary napkins matter. Salma, a 42-year-old mother of two boys, recalled her agonising, painful, and depressing past, which she experienced most during her menstrual cycle. She agreed to listen, but was hesitant about the business.

HP’s colleague introduced herself through her mobile phone to another successful sanitary napkin entrepreneur who was working in another city on the same project. Salma became convinced. She has a shop and sewing machine, which are the compliments of the napkin business.

She took part in several training programmes offered by Hope for the Poorest (HP) to help her become a profitable business owner. She was a model participant who picked up business management and operations knowledge extremely fast. ?As promised, she launched her napkin business, but she was unable to get any customer.

Many individuals rejected her when she tried to bring up the topic of menstruation management in the community. She received criticism, but she never let that stop her from persuading others. Salma's initiative was progressively met with support from community women and girls who were too hesitant to discuss their menstruation after a few months.

Salma now provides tailoring services, selling ready-made garments and low-cost sanitary napkins for customers. She borrowed BDT 50,000 from #ASA, MFI for business expansion and she paid it back on schedule. She earns almost every month BDT 25,000, which significantly contributes to changing their family livelihoods. A woman employed in her business gets wages of BDT 5,000 every month. Salma’s social value has already been raised, and the decision-making power in her family is visible. She want to provide her sanitary napkin services to customers who live far away and are still unaware of the significance of managing menstruation hygiene.????