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Ruby Cup: Keep girls in school

Let's equip 5000 girls in Kenya with a Ruby Cup, so they can stay in school and realize their full potential.

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Ruby Cup: Keep girls in school

Ruby Cup: Keep girls in school

Ruby Cup: Keep girls in school

Ruby Cup: Keep girls in school

Ruby Cup: Keep girls in school

Let's equip 5000 girls in Kenya with a Ruby Cup, so they can stay in school and realize their full potential.

Let's equip 5000 girls in Kenya with a Ruby Cup, so they can stay in school and realize their full potential.

Let's equip 5000 girls in Kenya with a Ruby Cup, so they can stay in school and realize their full potential.

Let's equip 5000 girls in Kenya with a Ruby Cup, so they can stay in school and realize their full potential.

Maxie Matthiessen
Maxie Matthiessen
Maxie Matthiessen
Maxie Matthiessen
1 Campaign |
Nairobi, Kenya
$42,000 USD 546 backers
105% of $40,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Deutsche Version weiter unten. German version below.

____________________________________________________________________


Ruby Cup: A life changer.

Hello! We are the team behind Ruby Cup, a social business working in Berlin and Nairobi. Ruby Cup is improving menstrual hygiene for girls and women worldwide. 

Did you know that millions of girls living in poverty miss school because of their periods? Because they can’t afford pads and are afraid of staining their clothes, many girls end up staying home from school (UNDP, 2008). This amounts to missing 1 week per month or 20% of schooling and as a result, many girls drop out entirely. We want to change that.

Ruby Cup is a menstrual cup that lasts for 10 years. It is a hygienic, healthy and long-term solution for your period.

For every Ruby Cup that you buy for yourself through this campaign, we give one to a girl in Kenya. You can also choose only to donate, in case you already have one. For $8 you finance a Ruby Cup and, very importantly, education about reproductive help and menstrual hygiene.

This campaign

During the campaign, Maxie will be wearing a #brainpower HAT in public 24/7. It won't come off - not even for one second, until we have reached our goal.
Why? Because in Kenya, a Ruby Cup is #brainpower.  Maxie is wearing it for all the girls in Kenya.
Below you can see how she wears the #brainpower hat in public, everywhere and anywhere.

How We Work

In 2011, we moved to Kenya to start working on the design and production of Ruby Cup in collaboration with our Kenyan team. One year later, we had designed the right packaging, product and educational materials to make Ruby Cup attractive to Kenyan girls. They wanted something cool, modern and pink. And here we are!

We began to sell Ruby Cups through local women in various slums. But that did not work. Why? Ruby Cups were simply unaffordable to the girls who needed them most. We had to find a way to cross-subsidize the product. So we started to sell Ruby Cup over the Internet. Today, every time we sell a Ruby Cup online, we donate one to a girl in Kenya. 

As part of our work, we educate girls about menstrual hygiene and reproductive health. Girls often don’t know what’s happening with their bodies – many don’t know that it’s normal to get a period, and some even think they’re sick. Menstruation is still a taboo. Help us break it!

We are very proud to have equipped 1,500 girls with Ruby Cups and education about reproductive health and menstrual hygiene in collaboration with our local partners.

Our team in Kenya educating girls about female anatomy.

Feedback

The program so far has been highly successful and girls' feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Some wrote us letters about how much Ruby Cup has helped to improve their lives.

“Before I start using ruby cup I was using rags. Sometimes I was using pads I usually stay home until my menstruation stop because I become shy. But by now I am using Ruby cup I can do anything I can jump but before I was asking money for my boyfriends sometimes I was asking my mother sometimes when my mother doesn’t have money I usually use rages (…) I like ruby cup with all my heart because it is helping me so much.“ (Letter from Valentine Otiendo, 13 years old, August 2012).

The Problem

We’ve done a lot, but we want to do much more – and that’s where we need your help! Right now we are receiving numerous requests from organizations that would like to introduce Ruby Cups to girls in Kenya, and girls are asking us directly how they can get Ruby Cups themselves. We want to meet the demand but we have only a few Ruby Cups left and no means to finance a new round of production, and minimum order quantities mean we have to order a lot at once. So we need your help.

What We Need

We need $40,000 to finance a new batch of Ruby Cups and make a positive impact for 5,000 girls in Kenya.

  • We need $40,000 in order to finance a new batch of Ruby Cups. This will equip 5,000 girls with a long-lasting solution for managing their menstruation and allow them to attend school worry-free.
  • You get a chance to make a life-changing impact for a girl in Kenya.

What You Get

  • You get fantastic rewards in exchange for your support. They range signed marathon jerseys by Kenyna marathon runner Vincent Ochieng to Ruby Cups, a personal video message from a Kenyan girl to fair trade organic t-shirts with our Ruby message, “Consume less, Live more.” We also offer Ruby Cup t-shirts with our logo. Our most exclusive reward entails a field trip to Kenya to meet the team and be part of our work in the field. See your rewards below!

Our newest perk: Actress Ursula Karven has signed and donated her newly released book "Loslassen" (let go) in support of our campaign. See cover and signature below.

Vincent Ochieng, marathon runner form Kenya was so kind to donate his running jerseys.

Of course you can buy a Ruby Cup for yourself and one for a girl in Kenya. We also offer t-shirts and bags made from organic fair trade cotton.

Above: Examples of your perks: Ruby Cups, Ruby Cup with sterilizers, and our "Consume less, live more." fairtrade fashion organic cotton t-shirt and bag. And below our team wearing the exclusive Ruby T-shirt. You can get that, too.

Our Team


This is our team in Nairobi responsible for the education of girls and distribution of Ruby Cups: Maximilla, Amaia, Vanessa, Veronica, Shamim, Julie, and Rachael. 

Maxie, Eva, and Anka make up our team in Berlin. You can read more about our roles and who we are here.

Your Impact

  • For $8 you can give one Ruby Cup to a girl and Kenya. This includes not only the product itself but also educations about usage and menstrual hygiene and reproductive health in general.
  • You will help 5,000 girls receive a long-lasting solution to dealing with their periods. You’ll be helping them attend school without worries and you'll empower them and make their lives so much easier.  
  • You will help girls learn about reproductive health and help us to break the taboo surrounding menstruation. Girls will learn why they get their periods and that it is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
  • You will save our environment 60,000,000 tampons’ worth of waste, which would otherwise be created without the use of the Ruby Cup. 

Our partners


Additional Information

Who is behind Ruby Cup?

Ruby Cup was founded by Veronica D'Souza, Julie Weigaard Kjær and Maxie Matthiessen in 2011. They met in university and are all menstrual cup users. At some point they learned that menstruation is one of the main reasons why girls drop out of school. So they founded Ruby Cup because they believed that no girl or woman should face disadvantages because of her period. Since then, the Ruby Cup team has won several awards for their social mission and business model including The Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition (US) and Venture Cup (Denmark). Ruby Cup is a Sustainia100 Solution, finalist in Ben & Jerry's Join Our Core (EU), recipient of the Future Impact Award 2nd prize (Switzerland) and has been nominated for the German Engagement Prize.


Ruby Cup founders Veronica D'Souza, Julie Weigaard Kjær and Maxie Matthiessen.

What is Ruby Cup?

Ruby Cup is a healthy, high quality and eco-friendly menstrual cup made out of 100% medical grade silicone, reusable for up to 10 years. Its large capacity means that you can go up to 12 hours without emptying it. This makes it especially good for school girls, since they can go a whole school day without emptying it. Ruby Cup comes in one size that fits comfortably before or after childbirth.


What if you like our work but don't have money to give?

No money? No problem. There are other ways you can help. Please spread the word and share this with you friends via email, Facebook, and Twitter. We understand that not everyone has the financial means to contribute. By spreading this in your network, you can do a little to make a big impact.

Acknowledgements

This campaign would not have been possible without the following people: Producers Ömer Mutlu and Allesandro Rovere from Namugrafie; Scriptwriter Natalie Krane; Make up: Mica Frisch; Campaign photographer: Jochen Tan; Connector: Jan Stassen.

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Deutsche Version. German version below:

Ruby Cup: Unterstütze mit uns Mädchen in Kenia!

Hallo,

Wir sind das Team hinter Ruby Cup, einem sozialen Unternehmen aus Berlin und Nairobi. Ruby Cup verbessert die Menstruationshygiene von Frauen und Mädchen weltweit.

Wusstest Du, dass Millionen von Mädchen in armen Regionen wegen ihrer Periode nicht in die Schule gehen? Sie können sich Binden und Tampons einfach nicht leisten und bleiben zu Hause, um sich nicht mit Blutflecken auf der Kleidung zu blamieren. Als Folge brechen viele Mädchen die Schule ganz ab, denn 1 Woche pro Monat der Schule zu verpassen ist eindeutig zu viel.

Ruby Cup ist eine Menstruationstasse, die für 10 Jahre hält. Es ist eine hygienische und langlebige Lösung, mit der Mädchen ihre komplette Ausbildung von der Grundschule zur Universität abschließen können ohne sich über ihre Periode Gedanken machen zu müssen.

Wie wir arbeiten

Im Jahr 2011 sind wir nach Kenia gezogen, um gemeinsam mit unserem kenianischen Team das Design zu gestalten und die Produktion von Ruby Cup zu beginnen. Ein Jahr später hatten wir das perfekte Produkt, inklusive Verpackung und Bildungsmaterial, sodass Ruby Cup für Kenianerinnen ansprechend ist. Sie wollten etwas Cooles, Modernes und Pinkes. Und hier sind wir angelangt.

Wir begannen Ruby Cup durch lokale Frauen in verschiedenen Slums zu verkaufen. Das hat jedoch nicht geklappt. Warum? Ruby Cup war einfach nicht erschwinglich für die Mädchen, die es am Dringendsten brauchen. Wir mussten Wege finden, mit denen wir den Preis querfinanzieren konnten. Also begannen wir Ruby Cup über das Internet zu verkaufen – nach dem Prinzip „Buy One, Give One“. Heute wird immer wenn wir einen Ruby Cup verkaufen, einer an ein Mädchen in Kenia gespendet.

Als Teil unserer Arbeit bilden wir Mädchen zu Menstruationshygiene und reproduktiver Gesundheit. Sie wissen häufig nicht, was mit ihren Körpern passiert, dass die Periode völlig normal ist und manche glauben sogar krank zu sein. Menstruation ist immer noch ein starkes Tabu. Hilf uns, es zu brechen!

Wir sind stolz, schon 1500 Mädchen mit Ruby Cup geholfen zu haben und sie in Zusammenarbeit mit lokalen Partnern über ihre Körper und Menstruation aufgeklärt zu haben.

Feedback

Bisher war unsere Arbeit ein großer Erfolg und das Feedback der Mädchen überragend positiv. Manche schrieben uns Briefe, um uns zu sagen, wie sehr Ruby Cup ihr Leben verbessert hat.

Bevor ich Ruby Cup benutzt habe, habe ich Stofflappen benutzt oder manchmal auch Binden. (…) Vorher musste ich meine Freunde oder meine Mama fragen, ob sie Geld (für Binden) haben. Wenn meine Mama kein Geld hatte, habe ich meist Lumpen genommen und bin zuhause geblieben, weil ich mich schämte zur Schule zu gehen. (...) Ich liebe Ruby Cup von ganzem Herzen, weil er mir so sehr hilft. Ich bin ja nicht einmal mehr zur Schule gegangen, weil ich fürchtete, dass meine Freunde merken, dass ich meine Periode habe und mich geniert habe.“ (aus einem Brief von Valentina Otiendo, 13 Jahre alt, August 2012)

Das Problem

Wir wollen noch viel mehr machen und brauchen deshalb Deine Hilfe! Im Moment stehen wir vor dem Dilemma, dass wir zahllose Anfragen von Organisationen bekommen, die gerne Ruby Cups an Mädchen in Kenia bringen würden. Oder Mädchen fragen uns direkt, wo sie Ruby Cup herkriegen können. Wir haben jedoch nicht die Mittel um eine neue Ladung Ruby Cups zu finanzieren und nur noch wenige Cups übrig. Wir müssen aufgrund der Mindestbestellmenge immer viele auf einmal bestellen. Deshalb brauchen wir Eure Hilfe.

Was wir brauchen & Was Du bekommst

Wir brauchen 40 000 Dollar um unsere zweite Ladung Ruby Cups zu finanzieren und eine positive Veränderung für 5 000 Mädchen in Kenia zu schaffen!

  • Wir brauchen 40 000 Dollar um neue Ruby Cups zu produzieren. Das wird 5 000 Mädchen eine zehnjährige, nachhaltige Lösung für den Umgang mit ihrer Menstruation bieten und sie sorgenfrei die Schule besuchen lassen.
  • Wir bieten tolle Belohnungen für Deine Unterstützung, etwa eine persönliche Videobotschaft oder ökologische Fairtrade-T-Shirts mit der Ruby-Botschaft „Consume less, live more“. Außerdem bieten wir Ruby Cup T-Shirts mit unserem Logo. Unsere exklusivste Belohnung ist ein Besuch in Kenia, um das Team kennenzulernen und Teil unserer Arbeit vor Ort zu sein.

Unser Team

Unser Team in Nairobi, verantwortlich für die Ausbildung der Mädchen und das Verteilen der Ruby Cups, besteht aus: Maximilla, Amaia, Vanessa, Veronica, Shamim, Julie und Rachael. Unser Team in Berlin besteht aus Maxie, Eva und Anka. Mehr über uns gibt es hier

Dein Einfluss

  • Du wirst 5 000 Mädchen eine langlebige Lösung bieten, um mit ihrer Periode umzugehen. Das wird ihnen helfen, die Schule sorgenfrei zu besuchen, sie zu stärken und ihr Leben so viel einfacher machen.
  • Du wirst dazu helfen, dass Mädchen über reproduktive Gesundheit lernen! Uns wirst Du helfen, das Tabu rund um das Thema Menstruation zu brechen! Mädchen werden lernen, warum sie ihre Periode bekommen und das es nichts ist, wofür sie sich schämen sollten.
  • Du wirst der Umwelt den Müll von 60 000 000 Tampons ersparen, der ohne Ruby Cup anfallen würde.

Zusätzliche Information

Wer gehört zu Ruby Cup?

Ruby Cup wurde 2011 von Veronica D'Souza, Julie Weigaard Kjær und Maxie Matthiessen gegründet. Sie kennen sich aus der Universität und nutzten selbst schon Menstruationstassen. Dann erfuhren sie, dass Menstruation einer der Hauptgründe dafür ist, dass Mädchen die Schule abbrechen. Also wurde Ruby Cup gegründet, denn sie glaubten daran, dass keine Frau und kein Mädchen aufgrund ihrer Periode benachteiligt sein sollte. Seitdem hat das Ruby Cup Team mehrere Preise für die soziale Mission und das Businessmodell gewonnen: The Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition (US) und den Venture Cup (Denmark). Ruby Cup ist eine Sustainia100 Solution, Finalistin in Ben & Jerry's Join Our Core (EU), erhielt denFuture Impact Award 2nd prize (Switzerland) und wurde für den Deutschen Engagementpreis nominiert.

Was ist Ruby Cup?

Ruby Cup ist eine gesunde, hochqualitative und ökologische Menstruationstasse aus 100 Prozent medizinischem Silikon und bis zu 10 Jahre wiederverwendbar. Die große Kapazität macht es möglich, dass der Menstruations-Cup bis zu 12 Stunden im Körper bleiben kann. Das ist besonders gut für Schülerinnen, die es den ganzen Schultag über nicht leeren müssen. Ruby Cup hat eine Einheitsgröße, die sich für alle Frauen eignet, egal ob sie schon geboren haben.

Was passiert, wenn wir unser Spendenziel nicht erreichen?

Unser Team ist bekannt dafür Dinge anzustoßen. Sollten wir das Spendenziel nicht erreichen, könnten wir vorerst keine Cups mehr produzieren; unsere Aufklärungsarbeit zu Menstruationshygiene in Kenia würden wir weiter fortsetzen. Also: Jeder Cent zählt.

Was kannst Du tun, wenn Du kein Geld hast, um uns zu unterstützen?

Kein Geld? Kein Problem. Es gibt andere Wege, uns zu unterstützen. Bitte erzähle Deinen FreundInnen via Email, Facebook, Twitter.... von uns. Wir verstehen, dass nicht alle die finanziellen Mittel haben, um uns zu unterstützen. Wenn Du hilfst, unsere Kampagne bekannt zu machen, kannst Du mit einem kleinen Aufwand Großes bewirken!

Danksagung

Diese Kampagne wäre ohne die folgenden Personen nicht möglich gewesen: Produzenten Ömer Mutlu und Allesandro Rovero von Namugrafie, Drehbuchautorin Natalie Krane, Make-Up Mica Frisch, Fotograf Jochen Tan und dem, der uns einander vorgestellt hat: Jan Stassen

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Choose your Perk

featured

Give a Ruby Cup to 3 girls

$24 USD
With $24 you can buy a Ruby Cup for 3 girls along with education about reproductive health. They will learn how their bodies work and be able to attend school free from period worries. Thanks so much for your contribution. Please share you support on Twitter with a tweet to #keepgirlsinschool
Estimated Shipping
April 2014
45 out of 100 of claimed

1 Ruby Cup to a girl in Kenya

$8 USD
With $8 you can buy a Ruby Cup for 1 girl along with education about reproductive health. She will learn how her body works and be able to attend school free from period worries. Thanks so much for your contribution. Please share you support on Twitter with a tweet to #keepgirlsinschool
64 out of 300 of claimed

Bag for a better world

$20 USD
Choose to "Consume Less, Live More" -- that’s what you'll be saying with our fair trade organic cotton bag (black bag with pink text). Thank you so much! Share your support on Twitter with a Ruby tweet to #keepgirlsinschool: igg.me/at/RubyCup
Estimated Shipping
April 2014
33 out of 40 of claimed

T-shirt for a better world

$25 USD
Choose between L, M, and S and "Consume Less, Live More" -- that’s the message of our fashionable fair trade organic cotton t-shirt (black and pink text). You’re helping girls live more with just one Ruby Cup. Thank you so much! Please share your support : igg.me/at/RubyCup
Estimated Shipping
April 2014
18 out of 50 of claimed

Exclusive Ruby T-shirt

$25 USD
Choose between L, M, and S and show your support to #keepgirlsinschool with your new Ruby t-shirt. Thank you so much! Please share your support with a Ruby tweet and share the campaign link : igg.me/at/RubyCup
Estimated Shipping
April 2014
9 out of 20 of claimed

Ruby Cup special price

$30 USD
Yes! You have made a wise choice and we love you for that. For your support you'll get a Ruby Cup at a very special price (normally it costs 39 USD) because we thank you so much for your support that you help to #keepgirlsinschool!
Estimated Shipping
April 2014
74 out of 300 of claimed

Give a Ruby Cup to 10 girls

$80 USD
With $80 you can buy a Ruby Cup for 10 girls along with education about reproductive health. They will learn how their bodies work and be able to attend school free from period worries. Thanks so much for your contribution. Please share you support on Twitter with a tweet to #keepgirlsinschool
20 out of 100 of claimed

Exclusive Ruby Video

$250 USD
We love you! Please don’t turn red, but you’ll help us #breakthebloodytaboo and support 30 girls. Wow. We’ll send you your own personalized Ruby video message directly from Kenya. You’ll also get a t-shirt so you can keep spreading the message. Share your support on Twitter with a Ruby tweet to #keepgirlsinschool. We love you!
 Please tweet your support with a link to the campaign: igg.me/at/RubyCup
Estimated Shipping
May 2014
3 out of 300 of claimed

Give a Ruby Cup to 50 girls

$400 USD
With $400 you can buy a Ruby Cup for 50 girls along with education about reproductive health. They will learn how their bodies work and be able to attend school free from period worries. Thanks so much for your contribution. Please share you support on Twitter with a tweet to #keepgirlsinschool
1 out of 50 of claimed

Ruby Changemaker

$500 USD
You are…wow! You will help 60 girls to have #worryfreeperiods and to #stayinschool. We’ll mention your name under Ruby Friends on our website and send you a t-shirt and bag with our Ruby message, “Consume Less, Live More.” What more could you want in life? Share your support on Twitter with a Ruby tweet to #keepgirlsinschool.
 Please tweet your support with a link to the campaign: igg.me/at/RubyCup
Estimated Shipping
April 2014
4 out of 200 of claimed

Ruby Silver

$1,000 USD
We love you sooo much – to the moon and back! 125 girls with #worryfreeperiods. We will name a distribution and education project after you. We will send you a video from that day and a personalized message from the Kenyan Ruby team. You’ll also be mentioned as an exclusive supporter on the “Ruby Friends” page of our website. Share your support on Twitter with a Ruby tweet to #keepgirlsinschool: igg.me/at/RubyCup
Estimated Shipping
May 2014
2 out of 20 of claimed

Ruby Gold

$4,000 USD
You are our hero and a real life-changer! During one of our projects, the girls will receive 500 Ruby Cups with your name on the packaging. We’ll send you a video from that day and a personalized message from the Kenyan Ruby team. You’ll also be mentioned as our gold supporter on the “Ruby Friends” page of our website. Share your support on Twitter with a Ruby tweet to #keepgirlsinschool : igg.me/at/RubyCup

Estimated Shipping
May 2014
2 out of 10 of claimed

You ARE Ruby

$20,000 USD
You are OUR Ruby! This reward includes a trip to Kenya to see our work in the field, meet the team, and chat with the girls. You'll take part in our education projects and learn about our work on the ground. Of course, we’ll take you out to dinner, too. It’ll be a trip you’ll never forget! You'll be THE ultimate Ruby supporter – we’ll mention your name on our website and write a blogpost about your trip to Kenya. Share your support with a Ruby tweet to #keepgirlsinschool. We love you forever!

Estimated Shipping
September 2014
0 out of 2 of claimed
sold out

Early bird Ruby Cup

$18 USD
Estimated Shipping
April 2014
Only -1 left
sold out

Ruby Cup & Sterilizer

$45 USD
Estimated Shipping
April 2014
50 out of 50 of claimed
sold out

Signed Kenyan Jersey

$70 USD
Estimated Shipping
May 2014
3 out of 3 of claimed
sold out

Signed Kenyan Jersey

$70 USD
Estimated Shipping
May 2014
2 out of 2 of claimed
sold out

Signed Kenyan Zip-up Jersey

$100 USD
Estimated Shipping
September 2014
3 out of 3 of claimed
sold out

Ursula Karven book

$150 USD
Estimated Shipping
April 2014
1 out of 1 of claimed

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