During her visit to DRC in September 2016, HRH The Princess of Hanover visited the Mungote displaced persons camp in North Kivu. This site, which opened in 2009, has 15,384 internally displaced persons, including nearly 4,200 women and girls aged 12 to 59, or 27% of the camp population.

A group of women and girls were able to talk with the President of AMADE Mondiale and share with her their personal experiences and daily lives within the camp. These women, most of whom have lived traumatic experiences of sexual abuse, are extremely vulnerable and feel that they have lost their dignity.

During this exchange, the group also had the opportunity to express their difficulties encountered in terms of access to education and more particularly on the conditions of personal hygiene. The issue of menstruation, still taboo, forces women to face many social, economic, and cultural challenges.

Because of the unaffordable cost of hygienic protection, young girls and women must then use alternative solutions (fabrics, banana leaves, newsprint, etc.) that endanger their health.  In addition, many girls and women are forced to stop going to school and work during menstruation. According to the World Bank, a young girl misses between 10 and 20% of school days a year because of her menstrual period.

An innovative initiative, recipient of the Siemens Stiftung Award, has been developed in Uganda by Dr. Moses Kizza Musaazi, engineer and founder of Technology for Tomorrow (T4T).  The initiative developed "MakaPads", 100% biodegradable sanitary napkins made from natural materials.  These products are widely used by UNHCR in refugee camps, and not only meet the needs of thousands of girls and women, but also creates jobs.

The sanitary napkins are made from papyrus fiber, paper, and water, dried and cut into rectangular shapes. They are then sterilised with ultraviolet rays, packaged in packs of 10, and sold on the market at a price of about $ 0.43 per pack, 50% cheaper than imported towels. MakaPads meet the East African Standards for sanitary napkins.

Through the provision of sanitary towels, the project aims to strengthen the protection of women and adolescent girls, support refugee women and girls to maintain their dignity during humanitarian crises, and improve their living conditions.

The production of sanitary napkins also provides access to income for local populations and refugees in this isolated area which is one of the least developed in the RDC. Income-generating activities support refugees to develop their abilities, build their self-esteem, and gain in self-reliance.