Menstrual Health Education – Step by Step and Through Empowering Language

Interview with Marina Gning (Api Afrique)

About API Afrique – API Afrique is a Senegal-based social enterprise that creates eco-friendly, reusable menstrual and baby care products while tackling taboos around menstruation and gender. Their work combines local production, health education, and advocacy to empower women and girls, promote sustainable practices, and foster social change in communities across West Africa.

Marina Gning – Co-Founder, API Afrique

Born in France and now based in Senegal, Marina Gning co-founded API Afrique to create a business rooted in care—for the environment, for communities, and for dignity. With a passion for social justice, Marina leads API Afrique’s outreach, training, and advocacy efforts across Senegal.

What led you to create API Afrique and focus on menstrual health?

It started gradually. I had launched a company in France called Nappy that sold washable diapers. When we moved to Senegal, we realized these products needed to be locally made to be more accessible and to create jobs. Initially, the focus was on baby diapers, but it became clear that menstrual health products sparked the most interest. We then began conducting focus groups and saw that girls were eager to talk about menstruation, despite the taboo. That’s when we decided to integrate education alongside the products.

How do you approach such a taboo topic in a sensitive cultural context—and how has this shaped the way API Afrique changes societal attitudes?

You have to adapt. From the beginning, we worked closely with mothers, girls, and gynecologists to understand how to introduce the topic of menstruation without creating resistance. One of the most important lessons was that separating menstruation from sexuality is essential—especially in Senegal, where speaking too openly about these issues can cause people to shut down. So we begin with the basics: positive, non-shocking messages about the body and how it works. That opens the door to deeper conversations. Our strategy is step-by-step education, always using reassuring and empowering language. By creating tools that normalize the topic, we’re slowly shifting mindsets—in schools, in families, and in communities. It’s a long process, but we’ve seen the change.

Your journey with S4DA started in an unusual way— Catherine Daraspe met you at a market in Senegal. Can you take us back to that moment? How did this chance encounter grow into a deep collaboration?

 We did a lot of market presentations in Dakar at the beginning to introduce our products and make them known, especially because they were different from what people were used to. I think that’s where Catherine and I first connected. I remember she later came to visit the company, which really opened a space for discussion. She’s someone who likes to see things on the ground. From that visit, we began working together—starting with a small project and eventually developing many initiatives like awareness sessions, the Weerwi edutainment series, and the father-daughter exhibition. The collaboration grew very naturally from a place of shared ideas and mutual engagement.

What has been a highlight of your work with S4DA?

 Several, but one that stands out is the S4D workshop we hosted for our team. It revealed a lot about internal dynamics and communication. The Weerwi video series and the father-daughter photo exhibition were also very impactful. These projects helped us communicate through channels young people actually use, like YouTube, and to address topics like positive masculinity in a relatable way.

Your team is almost entirely women artisans. What has been the most rewarding part of building this workforce?

From the start, we wanted to create decent jobs for women and support their financial autonomy. We now have around 25 women and just 3 or 4 men on the team. The biggest challenge has been keeping women long-term, especially after they marry or have children. Family responsibilities are intense—cooking, events, childcare. Despite this, many of them are proud to come to work. We try to support them with things like longer maternity leave or nursery help, but we also question whether the standard model of a “good job” really fits their realities. Sometimes flexibility and understanding matter more than contracts.

Photos: ©SandyBarry