*This response is a part of our SOCAP12 Spotlight Blog Series in which participants answer the question, “Why does meaning manner?”

WHY WE WANT TO BECOME MENSTRUAL MILLIONAIRES

We work with menstruation, one of the main causes of school drop-out for girls, a stigmatized issue that is often overlooked. We sell Ruby Cup, a menstrual cup that is re-usable for 10 years on the ground in Kenya through women to women sales. This way, we solve the problem sustainably, increase education about the issue, and generate income for the women. And we wish to scale globally so that no woman or girl should be hindered in her life opportunities because of menstruation. We started our company because we believe that business should be the driver of solving global challenges. For us, this is meaning that matters.

For a family with four daughters, imagine what amount of the monthly salary should go to buying pads. And when girls can’t get pads, they are currently forced to use: Sheets, rags, mud, bark, pieces of mattress, pieces of newspaper, etc. Undignifying and unhygienic solutions. Sometimes, there is no money for underwear, forcing a girl to insert these “solutions” directly into the body.

A year ago, my two partners and I decided to do something about it. We developed our own menstrual cup, Ruby Cup, moved from Denmark to Kenya and set up our company. Ruby Cup is re-usable for 10 years, it’s healthier for the body and for the environment, and it is extremely cost-saving. We sell Ruby Cup through women entrepreneurs who we train in menstrual hygiene and reproductive health.

Today, we live in Nairobi, and with every Ruby Cup we sell, we are changing the life of a girl. We have started in Kenya, but there are women and girls all over the world in need of a Ruby Cup. And we need your help to reach them.

We want to create a profitable business, where every part of the chain will benefit. When we become menstrual millionaires, this will equal an impact of reaching millions of women worldwide that are today struggling and the creation of employment, education, and empowerment.

In our generation, what matters is meaning. We might not have yearlong experience of running companies, but we have the guts to take on global challenges and prove that a new paradigm of social capitalism can be the positive driver of interlinked prosperity and sustainable solutions.
“Ruby Cup has changed my life. I don´t have to worry about leaking anymore. I save money and it is so convenient and cool. I absolutely love it!” Kendy (15 years), Kibera slums, Nairobi