Blandine Umuziranenge

A Black woman with an afro puff hairstyle is facing the camera smiling with her teeth showing. She is wearing a dark colored t-shirt. The photo is black and white and the background features two circles, one which is orange and the other pink.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Kosmotive

Rwanda

Blandine Umuziranenge is the founder and chief executive officer of Kosmotive, a social enterprise that focuses on improving reproductive, maternal, and child health in Rwanda and throughout Africa. Blandine created the KosmoPad, an eco-friendly and low-cost sanitary pad, that has been supplied to over 54,000 girls to help them continue their education while menstruating. In addition, she has created around 25 jobs in Kosmotive’s manufacturing plant for underprivileged women. Blandine was named one of the Top 50 African Business Heroes in 2021, and a finalist in the We Empower United Nations Social Development Goals Challenge in 2022. Blandine believes that as girls and women break the silence about menstruation and benefit financially from making and selling pads, they will see their periods as a source of pride and power.

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