Could a device invented in the 1930s help end period poverty?

Home > People Fixing the World > Could a device invented in the 1930s help end period poverty?

Could a device invented in the 1930s help end period poverty?
People Fixing the World
Aug 25, 2020

Period poverty affects girls and women across the world who can’t afford to buy sanitary pads or tampons each month. So what are the alternatives?

In a refugee camp in Jordan, we follow one woman as she tries to get a sanitary pad micro-factory off the ground. While in Malawi, they’re handing out menstrual cups to teenagers.

This podcast was first published on 7 May 2019

Presenter: Vibeke Venema Producer: Tom Colls

(Photo Caption: A menstrual cup / Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Next episode

More Episodes

Jul 15, 2025
Saving mothers and babies

In 2017, Spanish engineer Pablo Bergasa began an unusual hobby: to design a new incubator for use in African hospitals. Eight years on, he has sent 200 of his machines around the world, and he estimates they have saved the lives of 5,000 babies. Pablo’s incubator costs a small proportion of the price of a regular machine and can run on a battery and a bottle of water. Plus Myra Anubi hears about how a simple but ingenious plastic sheet is saving women from dying after giving birth.

People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We release a new edition every week for most of the year. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email [email protected]. And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Presenter: Myra Anubi Reporter: Esperanza Escribano Producer: William Kremer Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound mix: Andrew Mills

23min 17sec

Jul 8, 2025
Cutting food waste

Food waste is one of the biggest environmental and economic challenges we face — and much of it happens long before the food reaches our plates. In this episode, we meet the people working to tackle the problem in different ways. We hear about the smart sensors which could help cut down waste by measuring when food has actually gone bad rather than relying on one-size-fits-all expiry dates. And in Scotland Myra visits the start-up turning waste from whisky production into fish food.

Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer/reporter: Craig Langran Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound mix: Hal Haines

(Image: Myra Anubi with Euan Kinninmonth at the Eden Mill distillery, St Andrews, Scotland, BBC)

23min 24sec

Jul 1, 2025
The traffic lights tackling poverty

Despite a lot of progress in the last few decades, more than a billion people still live in acute poverty, according to the UN. Many don’t have access to basic needs like food, water, shelter and clothing. We look at an innovative project in Paraguay where people identify their own needs using a traffic light system and are then linked up with businesses, NGOs and government bodies who they work with to improve their lives.

Presenter: Myra Anubi Reporter/producer: Jane Chambers Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound mix: Annie Gardiner

(Image: Person looking at Poverty Stoplight survey, Poverty Stoplight)

23min 17sec

Jun 24, 2025
What to do with stray animals

How the numbers of stray dogs - and feral pigeons - can be kept down kindly in urban areas. From street dogs to feral pigeons, many towns and cities are having to deal with exploding bird and animal populations which can pose risks to health and safety. This week we take a look at ways we can control numbers in an effective and humane way. We visit a special pigeon loft in Germany, where pigeon eggs are swapped with dummy eggs to help manage the population. And we take a walk with tourists in Mexico, who are helping to socialise stray dogs while also providing funds for their care.

Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer: Claire Bates Reporters: Maddie Drury, Andre Lombard Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound mix: Andrew Mills

(Image: Layla Kudri with a couple of street dogs on a hike in Mexico, BBC)

23min 23sec

Could a device invented in the 1930s help end period poverty?

--:--