For 11 years, Blandine Umuziranenge has advanced women’s health, dignity, and economic empowerment across Africa with Kosmotive.
In 2014, Blandine Umuziranenge took a bold step that would change the lives of women and girls in Rwanda and beyond. Armed with her background in business information and communication technology, she founded Kosmotive, a social enterprise determined to tackle one of Africa’s most overlooked crises: women’s reproductive, maternal, and menstrual health. Eleven years later, in 2025, Kosmotive is no longer just a start-up idea – it is a movement that has shaped communities, lifted taboos, and offered sustainable solutions to tens of thousands of women.
The urgency of Blandine’s mission was clear from the start. Across Africa, millions of girls are forced to miss school every month because they cannot afford sanitary pads. Others drop out entirely, while many women face pregnancy and childbirth without reliable healthcare or even basic information. These challenges of period poverty, maternal health gaps, and reproductive stigma are lived realities, and Blandine wanted to change them.
The big break
Kosmotive’s first breakthrough came with the launch of KosmoPads, reusable sanitary pads that are eco-friendly, washable, and last up to two years. They save users up to 88 per cent of the cost compared to disposable pads, and they have already reached more than 54,000 girls, ensuring school attendance is no longer derailed by menstruation.
“KosmoPads are not just a product – they represent hope for so many women. Knowing they are made by women for women makes me proud to support such a meaningful cause.” Entrepreneur Esther M. Shared.
But Kosmotive’s vision was never limited to menstruation alone. Blandine expanded the enterprise to address maternal and child health more broadly. With the KosmoHealth App and Helpline, pregnant women can now access vital information and connect to healthcare providers. This service has reached tens of thousands of women, offering reassurance and reducing risks in a country where maternal mortality remains a pressing concern.
To complement this, Kosmotive also publishes Cosmos Magazine, which provides reproductive and maternal health education, and designs ecological maternity wear through the Kadablah Collection, giving mothers comfort and dignity during pregnancy and after childbirth.
The scale of the impact is undeniable. Kosmotive’s products and services have reached more than 120,000 women. The manufacturing plant continues to create jobs for marginalised women, and its circular economy model, which recycles used pads into mats and pillows, has made sustainability an integral part of the mission.
By December 2024, Kosmotive had reached a milestone few social enterprises ever achieve: its 10th anniversary. The celebration, held in Kigali, was a collective reflection on what a decade of persistence can achieve.
Kosmotive’s anniversary post on Instagram.
The spirit of the event honoured the past, celebrated the present, and looked to the future. Teachers, entrepreneurs, and beneficiaries spoke about the transformation Kosmotive had brought into their lives.
“The impact Kosmotive has had on our community is incredible. Girls no longer miss school during their periods, and we’re all learning to embrace sustainable solutions,” shared Marie C., a teacher.
Over the years, Blandine’s work has drawn international recognition. She won the Youth Connekt Africa Girls in Innovation Award and the Invest2Impact Africa Women’s Empowerment Award in 2019, and in 2021 she was named among the Top 50 African Business Heroes.
As Kosmotive enters its 11th year, the vision remains urgent and uncompromising. They are out to ensure menstrual freedom, to empower women with health and dignity, and to build communities where no girl’s future is cut short because of biology or silence.
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