Isatu Kamara

Sierra Leonean social entrepreneur addressing menstrual health disparities through sustainable solutions

Isatu Kamara (born 1989) is the founder of Making Sense, a social enterprise producing affordable menstrual hygiene products from locally-sourced banana fibers. Her innovative Banana Fiber Pads project began in 2020 with seed funding from the UN Women Innovation Fund. By 2023, the initiative had distributed 500,000 units across 12 African countries through partnerships with UNICEF and local NGOs. Kamara's She Economy initiative trains 300+ women annually in production techniques, creating sustainable livelihoods. Her 2022 documentary Flow: Menstrual Justice in Africa (IMDb: tt17940135) highlights the 1 in 5 schoolgirls dropping out due to lack of menstrual products. Featured in National Geographic's 2023 Women of Impact series, her work influenced Sierra Leone's 2024 menstrual health policy reforms. Kamara's open-source design repository allows global replication of her production methods, with adaptations now operating in India and Bangladesh.