OCHA-managed fund helps refugees make reusable sanitary pads in Malawi

By Gladys Ntambalika and edited by Joshua Mmali

Life has taken a turn for the better for Sifa Stone, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi.

Sifa, who learnt to produce affordable reusable sanitary pads for women and girls in 2025 under a project funded by the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), is hoping to use her new skills professionally. 

A single mother of two boys, now aged 9 and 10, Sifa arrived at the camp in 2016 with her husband, who later abandoned her and their children a year later.

“I was left with no stable source of income and struggling to provide for my family. I relied on performing occasional chores – like washing people’s clothes – to survive,” she recalled.

The hardship was so severe that her children sometimes missed school because they lacked food and basic supplies, even though tuition was free.

Making COVID-19 masks

In 2021, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Food Programme (WFP) working at Dzaleka refugee camp invited individuals with tailoring experience to train in production of face masks. 

Drawing on the basic tailoring skills she had acquired in her home country, Sifa joined the initiative and, with additional training, helped to produce face masks. 

“When the project ended, I continued with casual labour and taking on occasional tailoring work as I was limited by not having my own sewing machine,” she said.

And sanitary napkins

In 2025, her life took another positive turn when the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, through CERF funding, selected 26 vulnerable individuals for a specialized two-day training in production of reusable sanitary pads at the Dowa District Centre. Sifa easily qualified because of her tailoring background. 

Today, Sifa continues to use the sewing machine she received from WFP.

“I’m deeply grateful for the opportunities that have transformed my life,” she said. She is now not only able to afford enough food for her children but also able to send them to school regularly.

Today, with strengthened tailoring skills, Sifa collaborates with a small group to train other willing resource-limited individuals so they too can become self-reliant. 
“I see a promising future ahead, particularly with the skills gained from the sanitary pad project,” she said. 

Beyond the UNHCR-funded project work, she also would use her mornings and evenings to sew school uniforms and other items to earn additional income.

With the ending of the UNHCR project, she hopes to continue producing affordable reusable pads for women and girls who either cannot afford sanitary pads or want to save money – a sustainable opportunity.

The project concluded at the end of 2025 after it had provided the reuseable pads to all the girls and women in the camp.