A public benefit organisation · since 2017

Closing the
Women’s Health Gap.

Across Africa, women’s health is under-funded, under-researched and too often unspoken. Elle International exists to change that — with safe, sustainable solutions, education that ends stigma, and the data to make women’s health count.

Recognised by
Bloomberg New Economy· Rockefeller Big Bets· Vital Voices· MIT Solve
160,000+
women & girls reached across Africa
160k+
women & girls reached since 2017
+50%
school attendance during menstruation after our programs
5+ yrs
lifespan of one Elle Cup — replacing thousands of disposables
3
flagship projects spanning products, care & research
Our mission

Women’s health is more than a product. It’s dignity, data and a fair shot at a future.

The challenge of women’s health in Africa transcends access to sanitary products and contraceptives. It is intertwined with cultural stigma, limited resources and educational gaps — and a systemic absence of data that undervalues the conditions women live with.

Elle International works across the whole picture: getting safe products into hands, normalising health in classrooms and communities, and building the evidence base that unlocks investment in women’s lives.

Read our story

A holistic model

Four pillars, one outcome

Stigma, supply, education and evidence are connected problems. We treat them as one system.

Products

Body-safe, reusable menstrual and reproductive health products designed for real lives — and donated where they’re needed most.

Education

Workshops that end stigma and put girls back in school — with confidence, facts and language for their own bodies.

Care & access

Pathways to reproductive care, diagnostics and information — meeting women where the health system doesn’t reach.

Data & research

Closing the data gap so women’s health conditions are counted, understood and finally funded at scale.

The Women’s Health Gap

Half the population. A fraction of the research, funding and care.

Across Sub-Saharan Africa, health burdens for women are systematically underestimated. Women face barriers to care, delayed diagnosis and lower investment relative to how common their conditions are — a cycle Elle International is built to break.

See the evidence
1 in 3

girls in South Africa miss school during their period.

up to 50

school days lost per year, in the worst-affected areas.

7M+

South African girls can’t reliably afford menstrual products.

From our founder
“Through innovation and collaboration, we can bridge the gaps in women’s health — so every woman can lead a healthier life.”
Chelsea Anne Hornby Founder & CEO · Started Elle International at 23 with her savings of $27,000 Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst, 2024
Recognition

Backed by the institutions shaping the new economy

BloombergNew Economy Catalyst ’24
RockefellerBig Bets Community
Vital VoicesGlobal Fellow
MIT SolveGlobal Health Challenge
Global Health ConnectorECHAlliance member
ITUPartner2Connect coalition
MastercardTop SME Leader, Healthcare
Mail & GuardianTop 200 Young South Africans
Get involved

Fund a future where her health is never an afterthought.

Whether you give once, partner with us, or share the work — you help close the gap for women and girls across Africa.