The North East Development Commission (NEDC) and Virtuous Reusable Pads have launched the Pads to Prosperity Community Pad-Making Enterprise Programme in Gombe State, an initiative connecting menstrual health with women’s skills development, local production and economic empowerment.
Gombe State serves as the pilot state for the programme, which is fully funded by NEDC and implemented by Virtuous Reusable Pads, with Herbloom Technologies Africa serving as the technical partner.
Built around the theme, “From Skills to Sustainable Enterprise: Building Health, Creating Wealth, Transforming Communities,” the programme aims to equip women with practical pad-making skills while creating opportunities for sustainable, community-based enterprise.
At the centre of the initiative is Tabitha Arenson Abimiku, Executive Director of Virtuous Reusable Pads and Consultant/Programme Lead Implementation Partner for Pads to Prosperity.
We caught up with Abimiku to understand the thinking behind the programme, why Gombe was selected as the pilot and what she hopes to achieve beyond the production of reusable sanitary pads.
According to Abimiku, the programme is built on the understanding that menstrual-health interventions can create opportunities beyond product access. Women can be equipped with skills that translate into income, enterprise and greater ownership within their communities.
The model therefore positions women not simply as beneficiaries, but as potential producers and entrepreneurs who can contribute to improving access to menstrual-health products while creating economic opportunities for themselves.
The biggest highlight of the launch was the unveiling of the architectural concepts and ground plans for four proposed Community Pad-Making Enterprise Hubs.
The proposed hubs will provide dedicated spaces for pad production, skills development and enterprise activities as the programme moves from concept into implementation. The four hubs are planned across Gombe, Dukku, Funakaye and Yamaltu Deba Local Government Areas, forming the infrastructure for the Gombe pilot.
Speaking about the significance of the hubs, Abimiku noted that the infrastructure is an important part of ensuring the programme can move beyond training into actual production and enterprise development.
The unveiling brought together NEDC representatives, the Virtuous Reusable Pads team, Herbloom Technologies Africa and other stakeholders involved in the initiative.
Speaking at the launch, NEDC Gombe State Coordinator, Engr. Usman Muhammad, highlighted the importance of initiatives that combine community development with sustainable economic opportunities.
The programme also brought together stakeholders from government, education, health, civil society, traditional institutions, development organisations, women and youth groups. Discussions explored how the initiative can be sustained and potentially expanded beyond the pilot phase.
Technical quality is another important component of the programme. Mrs. Ruth Ugo of Herbloom Technologies Africa led a Quality Gate session and live demonstration focused on sanitary-pad production standards, highlighting the importance of quality as locally produced reusable pads move into community use and potential commercial markets.
The programme also recognises the connection between menstrual health and girls’ education. During a strategic session involving the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), stakeholders examined how access to appropriate menstrual products and menstrual-health support can influence girls’ participation in school, including the needs of girls with special needs.
For Abimiku, the broader ambition is to demonstrate that menstrual health and women’s economic empowerment can be addressed through the same intervention.
A woman trained to produce reusable sanitary pads can contribute to meeting a local health need while developing a source of income, while communities with local production capacity can create economic activity and improve access to menstrual products.
With NEDC’s full funding, Virtuous Reusable Pads’ implementation leadership, technical support from Herbloom Technologies Africa and four proposed community pad-making hubs, the Gombe pilot is positioning menstrual health as a pathway to dignity, skills, enterprise and sustainable community development.
