Who is Puan Anja?
As founder and CEO of Bluebear Holdings Sdn Bhd, Anja Juliah Abu Bakar sells Athena, reusable sanitary and maternity pads that help reduce garbage in landfills. Her Girl Empowerment Project aims to educate girls on hygiene and address the issue of girls missing school due to menstruation. Some cannot afford pads and they stay home or resort to unhygienic alternatives like old clothes.
Made from eco-certified fabric which is absorbent, non-irritant and easy to wash, the pads are sewn by housewives, refugees and disabled people in the Klang Valley. Aside from trying to sponsor a girl’s education for each sanitary pad sold, Anja’s achievements include being the only Asian woman selected to attend the Social Enterprise Forum in Stockholm last year.
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