Resilience in Action: Darlene Clarke-Okah’s Menstrual Health Empire and Her Entrepreneurial Journey with Shecluded

Darlene Clarke-Okah’s earliest memories of adversity began in Liberia amidst the civil war. At just nine years old, she was left on her own as her father, a soldier, was forced to leave. The challenges she faced during this time were immense, but they also shaped her resilience and determination, setting her on a path to become the dedicated entrepreneur she is today, with support from Shecluded’s CFYE-backed FINWOMEN Programme.  

Transforming Pain into Purpose: Founding Femme Avenue  

In 2003, Darlene relocated to Nigeria, seeking refuge and a chance to rebuild her life. Gone were the days of living in a conflict-ridden environment, but Darlene found herself experiencing new challenges as a young woman. Her severe menstrual pain and irregularities were continuous, significantly impacting her education and later, her professional life. Despite reaching out for help, she was often dismissed by medical professionals.  

“There is no way I was the only one living with that pain – the only one that ends up in the nurse’s office in school every month or every time she was on her period.” 

Refusing to accept that this was her normality as a woman, Darlene took matters into her own hands and founded Femme Avenue, a social enterprise dedicated to addressing menstrual health issues and period poverty. She quit her day job and fully committed to her vision. Now, Femme Avenue not only provides sanitary products and menstrual health education to over 1,000 women but also runs a training centre that teaches women how to use reusable sanitary products and offers them a market to sell these products, creating sustainable income sources.  

Building Skills and Community: Darlene’s Journey with Shecluded  

The road to success, however, was not without its obstacles. In the second year of Femme Avenue, Darlene realised she had no leadership skills or healthcare background to rely on, and she had to build a team. This led her to join Shecluded’s incubator program, which aims to promote inclusive, sustainable economic growth, full productive employment, and decent work for 1000 young women in Nigeria.  

While the classes were mainly virtual, Darlene found herself being immersed in a range of topics from financial management to pitch-deck presentations to customer relations. Each topic was specific, and each day was structured in a way that allowed participants to reflect on and practice what they learned, seeing what worked and what did not. Financial management stood out the most for Darlene as she was able to understand her numbers better, remain disciplined, keeping personal and professional account separate, and recording every single expense.  

Beyond business knowledge, Darlene credits the programme in helping her see the value in socialising with like-minded individuals. She used to prefer working alone and was unable to delegate, often resulting in micromanaging her team, but Shecluded brought to light the power of collaboration. Along with two of her fellow peers, she created affirmation cards, menstrual education cards, and launched her website, allowing her to expand her vision for Femme Avenue. She found that collaboration not only lightened her workload but also enriched her ideas and solutions for her brand. 

Darlene’s growth and purpose came full circle after completing the program as she was rewarded a microgrant from ‘AboutOurCulture’. This funding was not just financial support; it was an endorsement of her mission and the impact she is making in her community. With this grant, she was able to reach even more women with Femme Avenue, enhancing their access to essential menstrual health products and education.