Empowering 6000 women in Malawi with Asan menstrual cups

Name: Donate a Cup!
Brand: Asan
SKU: DONATE
Price: 12.5 GBP
Availability: InStock

May 26, 2025

Program Overview

Nearly 6,000 women in Malawi have adopted Asan menstrual cups as a result of a program initiated by Ufulu Malawi.

Founded by Widge Woolsey, Ufulu is a charity that is addressing period poverty in Malawi through menstrual cup adoption programs.

In 2024, Ufulu began distributing Asan cups to women and girls who cannot access safe period care. Over 6,000 women now use Asan cups, with demand and awareness for cups rising across Malawi.

Understanding period poverty in Malawi

Malawi is a landlocked country in southeastern Africa, and has a female population of 10.81 million.

Malawi is among the world’s poorest countries with a GDP per capita of $645 per year. A pack of 10 sanitary pads cost $2.78 (USD), which is the average daily salary for most women. Over 50% of females in Malawi are unable to access affordable period products and are forced to use homemade solutions to manage periods.

80% of women report pad rash, sores and infections when using pads or cloth rags.

Environmental impact of period products

Due to a lack of access to efficient waste disposal systems, the consumption of single use sanitary pads has a detrimental impact on the local environment in Malawi.

These non-biodegradable products contribute to pollution and pose health risks to nearby communities.

Why is the Asan cup a good solution for Malawi?

Designed at the Harvard Innovation Lab, the Asan menstrual cup is an insertable, bell shaped period product made from medical silicone. One cup can be re-used for 10 years and replaces 2,500 pads.

The Asan cup suits the needs of women and girls in Malawi for the following reasons:

1. Productivity: Tasks like traveling to school and managing periods at work become easier.
2. Affordability: Making the switch to the Asan cup saves each woman over 364,014 MWK ($210 USD).
3. Better health: Switching to the Asan cup reduces rashes, discomfort, UTIs, and infections.
4. Discreet: The cup is small and can be stored easily in the pouch provided.

Program implementation

This program is implemented by local Malawian women, referred to as ‘Cup Ladies.’ Each Cup Lady uses the Asan cup for at least three months before being trained by Ufulu to run workshops. This ensures that she has experience of using a cup and can answer any questions that the local community will have.

Each workshop lasts for two hours and has a maximum of 25 women. Everyone who attends the workshop receives a Cup Starter Pack, which contains one Asan cup, a storage pouch and tin, a bar of soap, and an instruction manual.

One third of attendees have been single mothers with three or more children.

Program outcomes

After conducting extensive feedback sessions, Ufulu found that nearly 100% of women and girls find the Asan cup to be an optimal solution for their period care, enabling a significant increase in work and school attendance.

6,000
Women and girls
in Malawi use
Asan cups
1,040,000
Days of school or
work attendance
gained
$1,924,298
Saved in
household spend
on period products
157.5 tonnes
Waste stopped
from going to
landfill

1 4

Next steps

Period poverty continues to be a pressing challenge in Malawi, preventing women and girls from attending work and school.

This program demonstrated that menstrual cups are a fantastic solution to period poverty, with nearly every attendee recommending the cup to their peers.

Ufulu and Asan are committed to expanding this initiative, in order to reach more women in the next phase of the program.