“The social benefits of the Ruby Cup include increased education on menstrual hygiene amongst women; increased employment through the distribution networks; household savings and reduced impact on the environment.”

This initiative aims to sell and distribute an affordable and sustainable menstrual hygiene product to base of the pyramid (BoP) women in Kenya. The Ruby Cup is a menstrual cup made of medical-grade silicone, which can be re-used for up to 10 years. The project will establish a network of women vendors who will sell the product through a MicroConsignment model to a target market of 5-11 million girls and women in Kenya.

The commercial driver is to develop Ruby Cup into a global brand and establish networks of women entrepreneurs to sell the product, eventually targeting all women in developing countries. In addition, there is a drive to become first movers and market leaders in sustainable menstrual hygiene products. The Ruby Cup is simple to produce so mass production will lead to economies of scale.

The social benefits of the Ruby Cup include an increased education on menstrual hygiene amongst women; an increased employment through the distribution networks; household savings given that the Ruby Cup is a one-time investment; and reduced impact on the environment.

IAP funding will cover expenses linked to the contact, pilot and launch phases of the project. The contact phase will establish a local network and foster different partnerships with private and public partners who will take part of distributing the Ruby Cup to girls and women at the BoP in Kenya.