ZanaAfrica

What ZanaAfrica does

ZanaAfrica is a Kenya-based, privately held social enterprise founded in 2008 by Megan Mukuria, operating under the consumer-facing Nia Yangu brand. The company addresses menstrual health management and sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) for adolescent girls in Kenya, combining a physical product business (Nia Embrace menstrual pads and reusable kits sold since 2014) with an evidence-based education program (Nia Learning, Nia Yetu curriculum manual, and Nia Teen magazines). It has cumulatively sold 13 million pads and 10,000 reusable kits and reports supporting over 400,000 people since inception, with a stated total program and product impact value of approximately 150,000,000 (likely KES).

The company operates a hybrid revenue model that pairs direct and partner-mediated pad sales (e-commerce storefront, Get Involved donation-linked gifting at 650 KES per year of supply) with grant and donation funding from a diverse set of funding partners, including organizations that support gender equity and positive social norms. Distribution runs through direct website sales, school-based programs, and NGO/CBO partner implementation, with documented expansion into Kenya's Arid and Semi-Arid Lands and refugee-hosting counties.

More recently, ZanaAfrica has layered digital services onto the product-and-curriculum base: the Nia Health Link WhatsApp chatbot and a 24/7 Nia Hotline, launched in 2026 with an initial rollout in Homa Bay, Kilifi, and Kiambu counties, provide on-demand SRHR information. The Nia Yetu curriculum manual and Nia Learning program are also packaged for partner licensing, and the company has expanded into child protection research (OCSEA study commissioned by The Tech Coalition Safe Online Research Fund). The organization employs 11–50 people and is headquartered in Nairobi.

Name

ZanaAfrica

Website

https://niayangu.co.ke

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ZanaAfrica (DBA: Nia Yangu) is a Kenya-based social enterprise that sells Nia Embrace menstrual pads and delivers evidence-based sexual and reproductive health education (Nia Learning, Nia Yetu, Nia Teen) to adolescent girls, schools, and partner NGOs, with supplementary WhatsApp and hotline support services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Menstrual Product Sales: Sale of Nia menstrual pads (The Nia Embrace) and reusable kits directly to consumers and through partner organizations. Products designed by Kenyan women for Kenyan women.
2. Donations and Program Support: Get Involved donations allow supporters to purchase a year's supply of pads (650/- KES) for girls in need. Funding supports education programs and product distribution.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ZanaAfrica manufactures and sells the Nia line of menstrual health products — including Nia Embrace pads and reusable pad kits — designed for the bodies, climate, and income realities of Kenyan women and girls. Alongside the products, the company delivers evidence-based adolescent reproductive health and life-skills education through the Nia Learning curriculum, Nia Yetu partner manual, Nia Teen magazines, the WhatsApp-based Nia Health Link chatbot, and a 24/7 Nia Hotline.

Product overview

ZanaAfrica operates as a unified product portfolio under the Nia brand, combining menstrual health products with comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education. The core offerings include Nia Embrace menstrual pads (designed for Kenyan women) and Nia Learning (an evidence-based education program), supported by supplementary services: Nia Teen magazines for youth, Nia Yetu curriculum for partners, and Nia Health Link (WhatsApp chatbot) and Nia Hotline for real-time health support. Since 2008, the organization has supported over 400,000 people through better menstrual management and health education, having sold 13 million pads and 10,000 reusable kits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nia Pads: Sanitary pads designed for Kenyan women
• Nia Embrace
• Nia Teen
• Nia Yetu
• Nia Learning
• Nia Health Link
• Nia Hotline
• Nia Impact

Products and services

• Nia Embrace (menstrual pads) ZanaAfrica's flagship line of Kenyan-designed sanitary pads priced at 650 KES per year's supply, intended for adolescent girls and women in Kenya seeking affordable, locally fitted menstrual hygiene products.
• Nia reusable pad kits Reusable, washable menstrual pad kits sold as multi-year-use alternatives to disposable pads, targeting Kenyan users who need a longer-duration, lower recurring-cost option for menstrual hygiene management.
• Nia Learning (curriculum program) Evidence-based adolescent reproductive health and life-skills curriculum delivered via schools and partner networks to Kenyan adolescent girls, covering puberty, menstruation, and related health topics.
• Nia Yetu (partner curriculum manual) Curriculum manual specifically packaged for partner organizations (schools, NGOs, program implementers) to deliver ZanaAfrica's reproductive health and life-skills content through their own channels.
• Nia Teen (educational magazines) Branded educational magazines distributed to adolescent girls, delivering puberty, menstruation, and reproductive health content as a print extension of the Nia Learning program.
• Nia Health Link (WhatsApp service) WhatsApp-based health information chatbot that delivers reproductive and menstrual health guidance to Kenyan users via a conversational, mobile-first channel.
• Nia Hotline (24/7 phone service) Toll-free, 24/7 telephone hotline providing Kenyan users with on-demand reproductive and menstrual health information and product guidance from Nia.
• Get Involved (donation pad program) Donation-tier offering through which supporters fund subsidized Nia pads distributed to schoolgirls in Kenya, channeled via ZanaAfrica's partner and school networks.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported 400,000+ people since 2008
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Kenya's Arid and Semi-Arid Lands SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhole-school implementation partnerships in ASAL counties including refugee-hosting areas. Programs adapted for complex contexts with climate vulnerability, displacement, poverty, and trauma exposure.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Myna Mahila Foundation: India-based social enterprise manufacturing low-cost sanitary pads while employing women from urban slums. Comparable product-plus-empowerment model, but operating in South Asia rather than East Africa.
• Be Girl Inc. Global social enterprise producing reusable menstrual products and puberty education materials for schoolgirls in low-resource settings. Comparable hybrid product/curriculum offering with international reach.

Broad incumbents

• Kimberly-Clark (Kotex): Multinational manufacturer of Kotex and other feminine care brands sold across East Africa. Represents the same low-priced incumbent competitive pressure as P&G for Nia Embrace.
• Procter & Gamble (Always/Whisper): Global multinational with mass-market feminine hygiene brands dominating shelf space and price points in Kenya. Sets the commodity benchmark that ZanaAfrica's premium "designed by Kenyan women" positioning must defend against.
• Whisper/Johnson & Johnson: Large multinational feminine hygiene brand with strong retail penetration in Kenya. Indirectly comparable as the mass-market commercial alternative to social-enterprise pad brands like Nia.
• UNICEF Menstrual Health and Hygiene Programme: UN agency running large-scale menstrual health programming, including free pad distribution and SRH education in schools across East Africa. A major potential partner and competitor for institutional funding.

Direct peers

• Ruby Cup: Kenya-based social enterprise selling reusable menstrual cups with an education focus (buy-one-give-one). Directly competes in the Kenyan menstrual health market with a similar girl-focused impact narrative.
• Days for Girls International: Global NGO providing reusable menstrual kits and SRH education across 100+ countries. Comparable pad-plus-education, community-led distribution model; broader geographic footprint than ZanaAfrica.
• AFRIpads: Ugandan manufacturer of reusable and disposable menstrual pads paired with SRH education for schoolgirls. Closest comparable to ZanaAfrica in mission, product mix, and East African school-distribution model.
• Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE): Rwanda-based social enterprise producing affordable menstrual pads from local banana fiber while running SRH education. Comparable hybrid pad-plus-education model serving East African schoolgirls.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/niayanguke
• Facebookfacebook.com/NiaYanguKe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zanaafrica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ZanaAfrica