Euodia Naanyane-Bouwer – A Heart to Change Lives

Gracious Nubian is a social enterprise based in Bloemfontein where Euodia is the founder and Managing Director. We design, develop and manufacture an innovative washable sanitary pad that can be reused for up to 2 years. We are 100% black-owned with hands-on owner Euodia Naanyane–Bouwer and two deaf-mute seamstresses fully committed to giving rural girls their dignity back.

Euodia shares her answers to some interesting questions … with warmth and her special sense of humour.

If you had a theme song, what would it be?

Ain’t no stopping us now ~ McFadden and Whitehead

What is the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?

I resigned from full time job to follow my passion and to trade with it. I have no regrets!

If Mars were liveable, would you accept a one way ticket there?

Nope! I still have so much to do on dearest Earth.

If you were given one thousand acres of land what would you do with it?

I would plant all sorts of trees that would serve as a place of shade and food security for generations to come.

Are you more of a hunter or a gatherer?

I am a go-getter. So that makes it a hunter, without a doubt!

How many pairs of shoes do you own?

Haha! Guilty as charged!

If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?

Probably a braai under the beautiful Free State skyline.

How would people communicate in a perfect world?

Listening to unfiltered thoughts without prejudice. Imagine that outcome …

When you have 30 minutes of free time – how do you pass it?

I’d probably just bask in the sun.

If you woke up to 300 unread emails, how would you prioritise which ones to answer?

I would look at the subject line and answer those that interest me.

Where do you go and what do you do to find peace and recharge?

I love being in the Kalahari. I like the simplicity of it. It is synonymous to tranquillity.

If you could know the absolute answer to one question, what question would you ask?    

Who is my mom’s smartest child? Haha!

If you could write one new law that everybody had to obey, what would it be?

It’s alarming how little we read, not to mention the spelling errors we see on social media. So I would say: “Everyone must read at least one book per month.”

What, if anything, have you ever re-gifted?

Yes! Those freebies from Insurance companies. It’s a form of recycling, isn’t it? Laughing!

What is the most interesting thing you have seen or read this week?

BBC’s report on how COVID-19 has impacted the environment. How pollution and greenhouse gas emissions have fallen across continents as countries try to contain the spread of the new corona virus.

What skill or craft would you like to master?

To be one of the world’s most successful business women.

If you could dedicate your life to solving one problem, what would it be?

It’s obvious, to ensure every woman has sanitary pads as an essential need. Not just in times of a pandemic but as a lifestyle, as it should!

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