Kulsuma Begum is a small entrepreneur and community developer, living with her mother and two children in rural Bangladesh. She began her entrepreneurial journey by selling daily necessities such as cosmetics, mosquito nets, clothes, birth-control pills, soap, buckets, seeds, and fertilizers. 

With iDE’s support in 2020, she expanded her offering to include products that meet women’s needs for managing menstrual hygiene—products that were previously unavailable in her area.

Many women in remote places such as rural Bangladesh still rely on unhygienic methods of managing menstruation that can lead to potential health risks. Kulsuma recognized the importance of raising awareness of the social and religious taboos surrounding menstruation. She received training from iDE to hold sensitization sessions to break down these barriers. Increasing orders for sanitary pads show that her determination is slowly paying off. Her influence has even led to the formation of a women's group in her community.