Our Social Entrepreneurs

ira Concepts

Varangtip Satchatippavarn, Founder & CEO
Chris Vibert, Chief Technology Officer

ira Concept designs and produces organic biodegradable sanitary pads and have established a strong customer base through a subscription based model in Thailand. They advocate for menstrual products to be freely available in offices and schools, donate a proportion of products, and are starting to work on programs to raise awareness and reduce period stigma through programs in schools. Increasing the availability of quality, organic, and environmentally-friendly menstrual products across Thailand, while reducing period stigma through education and provision in schools and public-spaces.

Myanmar Kitchen

Hsu Hsu Lin Lett, Program Director

Myanmar Kitchen has established and run small water drinking plants in the poorest areas of Yangon, improving health outcomes for the local community. Each plant is run as a small business, providing water at a significant saving to consumers while covering the ongoing operation and maintenance costs. Water is then sold at less than 10% of the cost of existing bottled water, creating huge savings for Yangon’s most vulnerable families.

Learn to Serve Vanuatu

Willy Missack, Founder & Executive Director
Rachel Missack, Programme Manager

Learn to Serve is tackling access to clean water and climate adaptation through youth-led and community-led resiliency projects across Vanuatu in the Pacific. Through this community structure, L2S works at the neighborhood-level to manage water and sanitation infrastructure and facilities, guaranteeing access to safe, clean water.

Eco-Soap Bank

Samir Lakhani, Founder, Executive Director and
Tricia Chirumbole, Global Program Manager

Eco-Soap Bank rescues and recycles unusable soap remnants from commercial manufacturers, putting soap in the hands of under-resourced children via schools and WASH programs, alongside relevant hygiene education, ensuring everyone receives basic dignities. Eco-Soap Bank also provides training and jobs for 154 women to learn the craft of soap-recycling and to distribute affordable soap widely, stimulating local economic opportunity.

Sanivation

Nandita Kotwal, Business Development Manager and
Shadrack Omwenga, Project Development Manager

Sanivation is pioneering sanitation innovations in Kenya by implementing non-sewered sanitation solutions at scale and treating human waste to create an environmentally friendly fuel product, which is then sold to local businesses. By partnering with utilities in Africa, Sanivation facilitates sanitation opportunities at the city and municipality-level, and makes sanitation a revenue engine, not a cost burden, while creating safe and equitable sanitation access for all residents.

TAYEP (Tanzania Young Eco Protection)

Dr. Felix Richard Manyogote, Founder & Executive Director and
Irene Kawiche, Project Manager

Tanzania Young Eco Protection is a youth-led organization that has designed, developed, and produced a low-cost, environmentally friendly hand washing station powered by foot pedals for filtered water and soap, decreasing contamination and improving access to healthy and safe water. The system is designed for low-resource settings, is easily maintained, and affordable.

Wow Mom Ltd

Peninah Ndegwa, Managing Director

Despite being the biggest victim of poor sanitation, children under the age of 5 are often excluded in sanitation programs, specifically toileting needs. Wow Mom, Ltd. installs innovative and locally designed Baby Changing Stations in public toilets in Kenya’s urban centers and provides child friendly toilets to households. Additionally, Wow Mom administers sanitation and hygiene training to caregivers to decrease disease and the incidence of open defecation, increasing safe sanitation and hygiene practices among children.

SaCoDé

Grace Françoise Nibizi, Executive Director

SaCoDé (short for Santé Communauté Développement), is a Burundi-based startup that takes a holistic, wrap-around approach to the menstrual health of girls and women. SaCoDé’s novel innovation is a washable and reusable sanitary pad, branded Agateka, which means Dignity in Kirundi, is uniquely designed with special straps that allow them to be worn with or without underwear. Bundled alongside the product is comprehensive menstrual hygiene management and sexual reproductive health programming for adolescent girls.

Oky

Hodaka Kosugi, Julie Aubriot, and Agnes Makanyi,
UNICEF Kenya
Robert Kimathi and Hannah Muna, LVCT Health

Oky is the world’s first period tracking app that provides reliable, evidence-based menstrual health information, created for girls and with girls. This remarkable digital solution delivers girl-centered, culturally appropriate menstruation education and individualized period tracking directly into the hands of girls, in the way they want. Developed to meet the needs of girls’ digital realities, Oky is accessible on low end phones, can be accessed offline, doesn’t necessitate a high level of digital literacy to use, and is discrete and private. Originally created by UNICEF in East Asia and the Pacific, the app will be introduced in Kenya as a first entry to Sub-Saharan Africa, through UNICEF Kenya and their implementing partner, LVCT.

Kasole Secrets Company Ltd

Hyasintha Bartholomew Ntuyeko, Founder and CEO

Kasole Secrets makes the Glory Sanitary Napkin, a disposable pad engineered with ultra-absorbent and naturally antibacterial and hypoallergenic bamboo fiber. These biodegradable pads are distributed to schoolgirls at a discounted and affordable price. Through an interactive menstrual health and hygiene curriculum that engages boys alongside of girls, Kasole is challenging period taboos and demystifying menstruation for a new generation.