everteen announces year-long free sanitary pads to Bihar’s Riya Kumari

Will also sponsor her BA education as a token of appreciation for her courage to stand up to the cause of ‘true’ women empowerment and having open discussion on the issue of menstrual hygiene

Women – and men – are tying a red scarf around their waist to show solidarity with everteen’s #BloodyHypocrisy campaign that aims to make discussions on periods normal in India

India’s leading feminine hygiene brand, everteen, has taken a Suo Moto cognizance of the recent event in Bihar and announced that it will provide a year-long free supply of sanitary pads to Riya Kumari, the 20-year student who raised the issue of easy access of menstrual hygiene methods for poor girls and women living in slums.

everteen is currently running a social initiative #BloodyHypocrisy that aims to make discussions on periods as normal as talking about wound bleeding. During COVID lockdown in the country, everteen had also distributed tens of thousands of sanitary pads to impoverished women all over India at their doorsteps absolutely free of cost.

Chirag Pan, CEO of PAN Healthcare, says, “Menstrual hygiene has been considered a taboo subject discussed in hushed voices since generations. This must change! We need many more Riya Kumari’s to come forward and boldly demand open discussions around the subject of period bleeding. We salute Riya’s courage to speak up on this subject on a public platform with confidence! A year’s free supply of everteen’s neem and safflower sanitary pads is just a small token of our appreciation for her conviction to put an end to #BloodyHypocrisy around menstruation that pervades the society at large. We will also bear the cost of her education fees through her graduation.” Riya is currently pursuing BA first year from Ramvilas Rai College in Hajipur.

Adds Hariom Tyagi, CEO of Wet and Dry Personal Care, makers of everteen products and a PAN Health Initiative, “Our 2022 everteen Menstrual Hygiene Survey showed that 23.5% women still don’t consult a doctor or even friends and family in case of irregular periods. #BloodyHypocrisy is our call for action to make discussions around periods normal, so that each and every woman is empowered to speak about menstrual hygiene issues openly like any other subject.”

Women – and men – from all parts of the country are tying a red scarf around their waist and posting their pictures and videos on social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn to show their solidarity for the #BloodyHypocrisy campaign, which started a week ago.

everteen is also giving away gift hampers to the most engaging social media posts for promoting awareness on #BloodyHypocrisy campaign as a part of complete woman empowerment. A blog on the company’s website, everteen-neud.com, says, “In India, girls are worshipped as divinity during Navratri…Yet, on the other hand, no one really cares about her comfort when it comes to those five days of the month. This is what hypocrisy looks like and we need to put an end to it…What is the point of giving education to your daughters if they don’t have the freedom to express their views openly on every subject that is important for them? What kind of empowerment is this?”

everteen has been conducting annual Menstrual Hygiene Surveys since 2014. As a pioneer in complete feminine intimate hygiene, it has also been actively creating awareness on feminine and menstrual hygiene through numerous campaigns such as #FixYourPeriods and #SheNeedsPad. everteen is one of nearly 800 global partners of the Menstrual Hygiene Day, a platform supported by organizations like UNICEF and World Bank to raise awareness about the challenges faced by women and girls worldwide due to menstruation and highlight solutions to address such challenges. Today, everteen offers more than 35 different intimate hygiene and wellness products for women including sanitary pads, menstrual cups, bikini line hair remover crème, intimate wash, toilet seat sanitizer, fertility and pregnancy test kits, feminine serums and more. A bestseller on online marketplaces such as Amazon, Flipkart, Nykaa, Purplle, Snapdeal, Paytm, and others, everteen has also shipped products to customers in countries including Australia, Bangladesh, France, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, US, UK, Vietnam, and several African countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda.