Innovation and women’s empowerment are rarely discussed in the same context. Where revolutionary innovations can have a significant impact on society, harnessing it with women empowerment is a key in providing comfortable living for today’s women working round the clock. Strengthening women can help in strengthening the entire eco-system. Here are disruptive inventions for women to provide them a relaxed living.
1. PeeBuddy : PeeBuddy is an easy to carry, disposable tunnel-shaped paper urination device that ergonomically fits between the legs to enable women to stand and urinate. The working of the device and its design has been adapted from that of a funnel. PeeBuddy is an innovative & revolutionary product that takes care of women's intimate hygiene problems. An innovation by Deep Bajaj, a social entrepreneur who identified the problems women have to face while travelling or otherwise especially in India. PeeBuddy aims to break the insensitivity about issues concerning women intimate hygiene.
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Ayzh : Founded by Zubaida Bai, Ayzh works towards developing affordable, appropriate health technologies produced by women and for women in rural India. Zubaida’s motivation to start the company was personal. In 2006, on the birth of her first born she contracted an infection that caused years of suffering and was told by doctors that she may not be able to have another child. She made a promise to find a sustainable clean birth solution on behalf of women worldwide. Besides reducing maternal and infant mortality, AYZH increases income of women in rural India by enabling them to be the producers and sellers of tools like sterile birth kits.
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JAYAASHREE INDUSTRIES : Arunachalam Murugananthamis, a high school dropout designed sanitary napkin that could be afforded by women from low income group – designed a machine for Rs 65,000. Delivers an essential commodity – the sanitary napkin – to poor women at affordable rates without compromising on the raw material used (which is not the unviable cotton) or quality of the product as compared to the multinationals. This is an extremely crucial development and can be viewed as a breakthrough in positive social engineering.
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Aakar Innovations : Aakar is a hybrid social enterprise comprised of Aakar Innovations and Aakar Social Ventures that enables women to produce and distribute affordable, high-quality, ~100% compostable sanitary napkins within their communities while simultaniously raising awareness and sensitization of menstrual hygiene management. Aakar's vision is to create awareness about and access to affordable, high quality, environmental friendly menstrual hygiene products thereby empowering women and girls to make informed choices and enabling them to take charge of their own socio-economic development.
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Saathi Pads: Saathi is revolutionizing the feminine hygiene market with biodegradable sanitary pads made from natural fibres. Our patent-pending fibre processing technology creates eco-friendly, skin-safe products from banana and other naturally absorbent fibres. They believe in a cradle-to-cradle approach to manufacturing that benefits women and their communities at every step. Our women-led company was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Ahmedabad, India. From providing extra income to local farmers, to employing women in our production plant, Saathi generates lasting, positive impact.
