Heyday Joins Hands With Okhai To Provide Natural Feminine Care To Tribal Artisans

While we are busy normalizing the “new normal” and fighting a global health crisis, it is so important to make our “new normal” world a safer, better and happier place for women. A world where women have the right to be opinionated, to be educated, to lead, to be treated as equals.

Whenever India's population is examined as a whole, women are always at a disadvantage due to lack of opportunities and resources.

● No access to menstrual hygiene is the fifth biggest killer of women in the world and even then, in India, only 18% women have access to sanitary products. *

● 23 Mn girls drop out of school every year after starting their periods or menarche and the overall literacy rate is still much lower than men. **

● Estimates suggest that each year, at least 1.5 million girls under 18 get married in India, which makes it home to the largest number of child brides in the world - accounting for a third of the global total. Nearly 16 per cent adolescent girls aged 15-19 are currently married. ***

● The national lockdown has reported a 50% rise in domestic violence in India. ****

These numbers highlight the inequality that exists in our mindset and our approach towards different genders. For the majority of women, the opportunities to be able to have access to basic necessities, is still far sighted.

Having women at the core of their product and the brand, Heyday and Okhai have come together to celebrate and honor women, recognize the beauty of their being and also their contribution to their families and society. The initiative called #WeAreEqual, urges all men and women to participate in raising awareness towards women's equality in India. Anyone can participate in this initiative by making an = sign with their hands alone or along with their partner/husband/friend/brother/sister/mother/wife etc. Each time a person uploads an image or story on Instagram, as their participation, Heyday will provide one natural sanitary napkin towards the tribal women artisans of Okhai. The campaign which will run from 1st October - 4th October’ 2020, wants to promote women empowerment and will encourage everybody, irrespective of gender, to identify themselves as equals.

“Women’s equality and women's empowerment are two pillars for flourishing economies, growing business and tapping into every individual's best version of themselves. In India, 23 million women drop out of school every year due to lack of proper menstrual hygiene setting them back from equal opportunities in the future. At Heyday, we provide pure organic personal care to empower women and normalize periods because we believe that half of us cannot be left behind just because we bleed once a month. Each man and woman working at Heyday and Okhai is building a world of opportunity and equality because indeed #WeAreEqual. Every time one of you participate in the initiative with us, we will provide a Heyday natural sanitary napkin to the tribal artisans of Okhai to increase awareness about safe and sustainable menstrual practices. Let's join hands to give every woman her right to succeed.”, says Deepanjali Kanoria, founder, Heyday.

Okhai is a sustainable fashion brand dedicated towards creating livelihood opportunities for rural women artisans and protecting ancient tribal craft from extinction. Currently Okhai is impacting over 16000 artisans. It continues its march towards fulfilling its vision of being a brand that symbolises empowerment of rural and semi-urban women while recognising and promoting traditional handicraft techniques that are in danger of dying out with increased industrial growth and rapid urbanisation. Kirti Poonia, Head of Okhai says, “We are so happy to be a part of this amazing initiative by Heyday. With plastic pollution on the rise and toxic ingredients found in regular sanitary pads, we think clean menstruation is truly imperative in today’s time. With this collaboration we are hoping to spread the message and educate more & more women on the importance of sustainable sanitary products that are not only safe to use but at the same time kind to Earth. We are looking to provide these sanitary napkins to our 1500 artisans in Gujarat who will be very happy to receive these organic & eco-friendly pads by Heyday.”

Both Heyday and Okhai are being led by women who are looking to make a change in the consumption patterns of their audience and also wanting to give the best to women, in their own ways. While Heyday aims to make every woman aware about her choices and keep comfort and health as paramount values of the brand, Okhai is continuing to uplift the economic and social status of women and honing their talent. As sustainable brands, they are not only giving back to the society but also taking a step towards making a change in people’s lifestyle and pushing them to make more informed choices.

Each time a woman feels equal to a man and each time a man identifies himself equal to a woman, Heyday will provide a pad towards the tribal women of Okhai. We want to encourage everybody be a part of this initiative and stand together to spread awareness about equality and the importance of proper sanitation for women.