June 27, 2026 - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - UNFPA is introducing an innovative solution to ensure women and girls have reliable access to menstrual products: sanitary pad dispensing machines, now being installed in schools, workplaces, and industrial parks.
The initiative was officially launched as part of the commemoration of the International Menstrual Hygiene Day at Bole Lemi Industrial Park, in the presence of H.E. Dr. Dereje Duguma, State Minister at Ministry of Health, alongside government officials and partners. The event brought together a wide range of stakeholders united by a shared commitment to dignified menstrual health access, featuring a youth drama that powerfully showcased the menstrual health challenges many women and girls in Ethiopia continue to face.
As part of the launch, UNFPA donated 1,000 sanitary pads to women workers at Bole Lemi Industrial Park, addressing immediate needs while the dispensing machine, developed in partnership with DSW, ensures continuous, reliable access moving forward.
The vending-style machines provide immediate, on-demand access to sanitary pads, removing a key barrier that often disrupts education, work, and daily life for women and girls during menstruation. Industrial parks like Bole Lemi, where thousands of women make up the workforce, represent exactly the kind of high-traffic, everyday setting where this access gap has the greatest impact.
Following the launch, partners and senior officials signed a multi-sectoral commitment to advancing menstrual health and rights, a signal that this initiative is not a one-time gesture but part of a sustained, coordinated effort.
The initiative reflects UNFPA's broader commitment to a period-friendly world, where menstrual health is treated as a matter of dignity, not deprivation. By placing the machines in high-traffic, everyday settings, UNFPA aims to normalize access to menstrual products and reduce the stigma that continues to surround menstruation.
This is part of UNFPA's ongoing efforts to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights, ensuring that no woman or girl is held back by the lack of basic menstrual hygiene resources.
