Professor Ajume Wingo, a Prince from the Kingdom of Nso, was traveling by bus in his homeland of Cameroon, Africa, when he witnessed a young girl being ostracized by fellow travelers when she found herself menstruating for the very first time. Lack of education around menstruation led to this girl's unnecessary humiliation and shame. After coming to her aid and explaining that menstruation is a normal process and nothing to be afraid of, he vowed to do all that he could to ensure that no other girl would experience that shame again.

Professor Wingo spent the next decade trying to find a way to make biodegradable pads and the machinery to produce them. He visited several factories to try and learn how to make the pads and even purchased a sewing machine so that he could make sample pads to try. He also tried various different materials including raffia, palm fiber, plantain and banana to see what would have the best absorbency.

Professor Wingo meets Co-founders Stephanie Carter, Celeste Carter and Mary Shackelton and they begin working on a plan to form a 501(c)3 in Colorado and an NGO in Cameroon. The team took a trip to Ghana, Africa with their teenage daughters in June of 2018 to visit another facility that Professor Wingo was involved in that was making biodegradable pads and teaching menstrual hygiene education in local schools. During their trip to Ghana they met with local and government officials and learn how to take the necessary steps to form their own NGO in Cameroon.

In November of 2018, co-founders Ajume Wingo, Stephanie Carter and her daughter, Celeste Carter took a trip to Mumbai, India to meet the founders of Aakar Innovations who manufacture sanitary pad machines for developing nations. The team spent several days on the ground learning how the machines worked and figuring out the logistics for purchasing a machine and exporting it to Cameroon.

In February 2019, PridePads Africa, Inc. was formed, and a Board of Directors was assembled. The Board began raising money for the initial expenses of the organization, including the purchase of a menstrual pads machine and the raw materials needed to begin manufacturing the pads. We hired a Director of Operations, Derek Gerleit, and he moved to Cameroon in August of 2019. Derek set up the facility in Ngaoundere and started the necessary work for manufacturing PridePads menstrual pads.

In November 2019, PridePads Africa held their first annual in person fundraiser and raised over $45,000 in donations. Later that month, Co-founders Ajume Wingo, Stephanie Carter and Celeste Carter went to Ngaoundere to visit the facility and meet the women who would be making the pads.

PridePads Africa got its formal 501(c)3 certification issued in December 2019.