FAQs

  • ZanaAfrica donates sanitary pads to our pre-selected partners which include schools and community groups across Kenya. We are not currently accepting new partners, but please sign up for our newsletter for updates.

  • You can make a purchase inquiry for pads or underwear from our social enterprise in Kenya by clicking here and detailing your order request.

    If you prefer to speak to someone first, you may also contact ZanaAfrica Group’s head of sales, Oliver, on +254705220200.

  • Zana is the Kiswahili word for tool. We chose this name because we’re equipping girls in Kenya with the tools they need to define and step into their own potential. We know that girls are inherently powerful and with the right support, can be equipped to express their purpose in the world.

  • We work with girls and community-based organizations throughout Kenya with a goal to one day expand across East Africa and beyond. Our program offices are headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya with a charitable Foundation based in the United States with offices in New York and Washington DC.

  • In Kenya, adolescent girls risk life-changing violations of their human rights including early marriage, sexual and gender-based violence, and teen pregnancy. Such pressures are insurmountable without knowledge of their bodies and rights; yet, there is no mandated reproductive health and rights education curriculum to deliver this critical help. If girls cannot get answers to questions about puberty, or the tools for decision-making, they cannot make clear decisions in relationships.

    Compounding this challenge, 2 in 3 girls in Kenya cannot access sanitary pads. The inability to manage menstruation reliably, coupled with a lack of reproductive health education negatively impact girls’ health, confidence, and safety. ZanaAfrica’s work is changing these sobering statistics and catalyzing measurable impact through our programming.

  • Read our Founder’s Story here. Also, check out these incredible features in Forbes and Now This on how our work began and where we’re headed.

  • Although we educate girls on all their menstrual health options, we choose to support girls with disposable sanitary pads because that’s what girls almost unanimously ask for. We believe it’s important to give girls what they seek and want. Additionally, many girls in Kenya lack the infrastructure and resources (clean water, soap, private bathrooms, etc.) to be able to hygienically manage a reusable product.

  • Although they are available in Kenya, we have not supported girls with tampons, as they are not a widely used product in Kenya, as insertion of products is considered taboo. However, as we believe in the power of choice, we'll most definitely consider moving forward should girls request it.

  • Our programs and content are designed for girls between the ages of 10-21, but we hope as many girls, younger and older, will benefit from our work.

  • Yes! Boys are also program participants. In 2019, our team began after-school programs inclusive of boys, offering reproductive health education, and mentors who offer safe spaces. We are continuing these efforts as we grow.

  • No, ZanaAfrica is not a faith-based organization. However, the tenants of social justice and purpose are embedded in all we do. “Nia” means “purpose” in Kiswahili. Directly and indirectly, our work helps girls to believe in, find, and step into their own purpose. We are not bound by any religious affiliations, but we do support girls and communities who may identify as Christian, Muslim, and/or practice indigenous religions. We also collaborate with a variety of secular and faith-based organizations to carry out our interventions in an effort to ensure that girls are supported and celebrated during puberty.