Making reusable sanitary pads for communities in Africa requires basic sewing skills, affordable materials, and an understanding of what makes a pad safe, absorbent, and durable enough to last through repeated washing. Across sub-Saharan Africa, between 50% and 70% of schoolgirls miss one to two days of school every month because they lack access to menstrual products. A single reusable pad kit costing a few dollars can replace disposable pads that run roughly $24 per student per year, making local production one of the most cost-effective interventions available.
Why Reusable Pads Matter in This Context
Commercial disposable pads are often unaffordable or simply unavailable in rural areas. When girls can’t manage their periods, they stay home. A meta-analysis of studies across sub-Saharan Africa found that about 31% of girls are absent from school during menstruation, with some estimates running much higher in communities with no access to sanitary products at all. Over a school year, those lost days compound into weeks of missed education.
Reusable pads change the math. A well-made cloth pad lasts around two years or 100 washes before it needs replacing. A kit of four to six pads, enough to rotate through a full cycle, can be produced locally for a fraction of what a year’s supply of disposables costs. Organizations like AFRIpads in Uganda have built this into a full production model, employing over 150 women to manufacture reusable pads and distributing them across the continent.
Materials You Need
A reusable pad has three functional layers: a soft top layer against the skin, an absorbent core in the middle, and a leak-resistant backing on the bottom. Each layer serves a distinct purpose, and your fabric choices determine how well the pad performs.
Top Layer (Skin Contact)
Use 100% cotton flannel or cotton jersey. These fabrics are soft, breathable, and gentle on sensitive skin. Avoid fabrics with synthetic dyes, fluorescent whitening agents, or chemical finishes. Research has found that some commercial pad materials contain irritants like formaldehyde and phthalates, so starting with unbleached or lightly processed natural fabrics is safer. If you’re sourcing fabric locally, plain cotton in light colors (which require less dye processing) is your best option.
Absorbent Core
Cotton toweling is the most reliable and widely available absorbent material. Bamboo toweling also works well and absorbs slightly more liquid by weight. A strong combination is one layer of cotton toweling closest to the body paired with one layer of bamboo toweling beneath it. For heavier flow pads, simply add more layers. Three layers of midweight flannel handle light flow, four to five layers handle medium flow, and six layers handle heavy flow. French terry fabric is another versatile option that works for both absorbent and top layers.
Some producers in Africa are experimenting with agricultural waste fibers, particularly banana and plantain fibers, as absorbent cores. These fibers are processed through a combination of heat and mild chemical treatment, then bleached with hydrogen peroxide. Plantain fibers show a good balance of absorbency and biodegradability, which matters in areas without waste management infrastructure. If you have access to these fibers already processed into a soft, pulp-like material, they can replace or supplement fabric layers in the core.
Waterproof Backing
PUL (polyurethane laminate) is the standard waterproof layer in commercial reusable pads, but it can be expensive or hard to source. Practical alternatives include polar fleece, which is naturally moisture-resistant and widely available, even from secondhand clothing or pre-cut blanket fabric. Felted wool from thrift store sweaters is another option. Wash wool in hot water before cutting to shrink and felt it, which tightens the fibers enough to resist leaks. Wool has the added benefit of being breathable, reducing the trapped moisture that can cause irritation.
Some makers skip the waterproof layer entirely to improve breathability, relying instead on a thick enough absorbent core. This works for lighter flow days but increases the risk of leaks during heavier use.
Cutting and Sewing the Pad
A standard finished pad measures approximately 9.5 inches long by 7 inches wide including the wings. You can make a simple paper template by drawing a rectangular shape with rounded ends for the body (about 9.5 inches long and 2.5 to 3 inches wide) and adding wing flaps on each side at the midpoint, roughly 2 inches wide each.
Here’s the assembly process:
- Cut your layers. Cut one top layer, your absorbent core layers (three to six depending on flow), and one backing layer, all to the same template shape. The absorbent core pieces can be slightly narrower than the outer layers since they only need to cover the center body of the pad, not the wings.
- Stack the layers. Place the top layer face down, then stack the absorbent layers, then the waterproof backing face up. You’re building the pad inside out so you can flip it after sewing.
- Sew around the edge. Stitch around the perimeter with a 1/4 inch seam allowance, leaving a 2-inch gap on one side for turning.
- Turn and close. Flip the pad right-side out through the gap, press flat, and topstitch around the entire edge to close the gap and keep layers from shifting during washing.
- Add closures to the wings. Attach a snap (one half on each wing) so the wings fold under the underwear and snap together to hold the pad in place. If snaps aren’t available, a small button and elastic loop works, or you can sew a strip of hook-and-loop fastener onto each wing.
For overnight or postpartum pads, extend the length to 11 or 12 inches and use the maximum number of absorbent layers. For everyday liners, scale down to 7 inches with just two or three thin layers.
Washing and Care Instructions
Proper cleaning is what makes reusable pads safe over their full lifespan. The essentials are clean water, soap, and a private place to dry the pads. Rinse used pads in cold water first to remove blood (hot water sets the stain and makes cleaning harder). Then wash with regular bar soap or laundry soap and warm water, scrubbing the absorbent area thoroughly. If possible, soak pads in a bucket of cold water with a small amount of salt between uses to prevent staining and odor buildup.
Drying in direct sunlight is ideal. UV light from the sun naturally disinfects fabric and helps eliminate bacteria. Pads should be fully dry before storing or reusing, as damp fabric breeds bacteria and develops odor. In humid climates, this may take a full day. Including a small drawstring bag in each pad kit gives users a discreet way to carry used pads home for washing.
Producing Pads at Scale
If you’re planning to produce pads for distribution rather than personal use, the AFRIpads model offers a proven blueprint. Their operation in rural Uganda started small and grew to a factory with the capacity to create 500 jobs, all staffed by local women. The pads are designed as all-in-one units that button into underwear, keeping the design simple enough for production workers to learn quickly.
A basic production setup needs sewing machines (treadle machines work where electricity is unreliable), a fabric cutting station, and a quality control step to check that snaps hold and seams are secure. Training local women to sew the pads creates employment while building a self-sustaining supply chain. A kit of four to six pads plus a carrying pouch and printed care instructions is the standard distribution package used by most organizations.
When sourcing materials, buy fabric in bulk from regional textile suppliers. Cotton flannel and fleece are manufactured across East and West Africa, keeping costs and shipping distances low. If you’re importing PUL or specialty absorbent fabric, factor in customs duties and lead times. Many successful programs avoid this entirely by using only locally available cotton and fleece.
Keeping Costs Low Without Cutting Corners
The temptation with any humanitarian product is to minimize material costs, but skimping on absorbency or skipping the waterproof layer leads to pads that leak, which means girls won’t use them. A pad that doesn’t work is worse than no pad at all because it discourages trust in reusable products entirely. Prioritize adequate absorbent layers and a functional closure system. Decorative fabric choices, packaging, and branding are where you can save.
Secondhand fabric is a legitimate material source. Clean cotton bedsheets, flannel shirts, and fleece blankets from donation centers can all be cut into pad components. Wool sweaters felted in hot water make effective leak barriers at zero cost. Just inspect all secondhand fabric for thinning, holes, or residual chemical smells before use.