Danish firm Makit ApS has been awarded a small grant from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) to further develop and market a menstrual cup for the Kenyan market. Makit is one of twelve companies that have been granted funds of up to 20,000 Euros in the first round of the Swedish Innovations Against Poverty programme.
Ruby Cup is a menstrual cup made of medical grade non-allergenic and non-toxic silicone that can be re‐used up to 10 years. Rather than absorbing the menstrual fluid like disposable products, Ruby Cup collects it during the period. When full, it is emptied, washed, and applied again. In order to ensure hygienic use, the cup needs to be boiled and stored between menstrual periods.
Makit has conducted a market study for the Ruby Cup in Kenya. The company aims to distribute its menstrual hygiene product through women-to-women sales in both Kenya and other East African countries.
Kenyan women examining menstrual cups. Photo: SuSanaA
The price of the Ruby Cup is unknown but the cheapest packet of sanitary pads in Kenya costs about 65-70 Kenyan shillings (US$ 0.70).
You can follow a discussion on the Ruby Cup on the SuSanA web site.
For more information see Makit’s page on the Ruby Cup on Facebook.
Website: www.ruby-cup.com
Source: Sida, 14 Sep 2011
Sanitation Updates 
Congratulations! I am so happy that this is going to be promoted in Kenya. I can’t wait to tell all my friends about it 🙂
This is really welcoming news and will assist many women in Kenya who are facing enormous challenges managing menstruation.
We have very vibrant discussions in the SuSanA forum about menstrual cups and the majority have welcomed this as an innovative and sustainable approach towards Menstrual Health Management (MHM)
Here you can find all the discussions on MHM in the SuSanA forum
http://forum.susana.org/forum/categories/24-menstrual-hygiene-management-mhm
We look very much forward to hearing more from you and learning from your experiences in Kenya.
Hongera! 🙂
Best regards
Doreen
Menstrual cups can be dangerous in poor rural communities. Where there is limited, unclean water and soap is scarce, it is impossible to keep these devices clean enough for safe use. Further, women in very poor communities often share even intimate items, suggesting a public health risk is posed by these products.
Linda Scott
DP World Chair for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
University of Oxford, United Kingdom
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Sanitary donation to schools.