Athena Empowers
Breaking Taboos and Building Confidence Through Menstrual Health Education
Factbox
Location
Sabah, Malaysia
Grant Period
October 2018 - September 2019
Grant Amount
MYR 31,028
Beneficiaries
5 villages
Focus Area
Overview
Athena Empowers promotes menstrual hygiene education and provides sustainable, reusable sanitary pads to women and girls in Malaysia’s underserved communities. By combining health awareness with entrepreneurship training, the initiative helps break long-standing taboos and enables women to gain financial and personal independence.
Impact At A Glance
- 2,700+ reusable pads distributed to nearly 1,500 women in Malaysia
- Workshops held in indigenous villages across Sabah
- Women trained as micro-entrepreneurs and menstrual health advocates
- Reusable bamboo-fibre pads reduce waste and promote sustainable hygiene
The Challenge
In Malaysia’s rural and low-income communities, thousands of girls still skip school each month because they can’t afford menstrual products.
In many developing countries, cultural taboos and misinformation about menstruation persist, shaping harmful attitudes toward women’s health. Globally, more than 500 million women still lack access to proper sanitation products — and in Malaysia, thousands of schoolgirls are forced to skip classes during their menstrual cycle.
This recurring absence leads to high dropout rates, early marriages, and reduced opportunities for work and education. To change this reality, one woman decided to start a movement — turning what was once a topic of shame into one of empowerment and livelihood.
The Solution
Athena Empowers provides menstrual health education and reusable pads, turning stigma into awareness and entrepreneurship for women and girls.
Founded as a CSR programme under Blubear Holdings, Athena Empowers conducts educational workshops that teach adolescent girls how to manage menstruation with confidence and care. The programme also trains women to become advocates and micro-entrepreneurs, selling reusable menstrual pads produced by single mothers employed by Blubear.
Each Athena pad is made from bamboo fibre and high-quality absorbent cotton — soft, breathable, antibacterial, and reusable for over a year. Beyond the environmental benefits, this innovation offers low-income women an affordable and sustainable alternative to disposable pads.
Since its founding, Athena Empowers has distributed more than 2,700 pads to women across Malaysia, helping them reclaim dignity, independence, and opportunity.
The Grant with AirAsia Foundation
AirAsia Foundation’s grant enables Athena Empowers to expand menstrual health education and reach more rural women and girls.
The grant supports Blubear Holdings to:
- Organise menstrual hygiene workshops in indigenous villages in Kota Belud, Sabah
- Train women to become sales representatives and micro-entrepreneurs
- Expand distribution channels for Athena pads to remote rural areas
With this support, Athena Empowers continues to open doors for women — providing not only access to menstrual products but also the tools, knowledge, and confidence to lead change within their communities.
Gallery
The Organisation
Blubear Holdings
Founded in 2013 as Blucotton Sdn Bhd, Blubear Holdings began as a producer of eco-friendly personal hygiene products. In 2015, it evolved into a social enterprise, dedicating most of its profits to menstrual hygiene education and women’s empowerment.
Through collaborations with government agencies, NGOs, and corporations, Blubear continues to champion self-development, sustainable health practices, and financial independence for Malaysia’s marginalised women and girls.
Team Leader
Anja Juliah Abu Bakar
Anja Juliah Abu Bakar founded Athena Empowers out of empathy and lived experience. Once a school dropout herself, she understood how easily education can slip out of reach for girls facing social and financial barriers.
With a diploma in Human Resource Management and a passion for social change, Anja built a business that merges compassion with practicality — giving women not just menstrual products, but the knowledge, skills, and confidence to change their own stories.
Social Enterprise
