Shay Mitchell has long advocated for women’s rights. In 2011, the Pretty Little Liars star did a campaign for the Somaly Mam Foundation to shed light on the ills of sex trafficking, which she witnessed firsthand when she was modeling in Thailand. Last February, Shay partnered with Raven + Lily, a fashion and lifestyle brand that offers women in developing countries the opportunity to work as artisans, with an end goal of breaking the poverty cycle in their families and communities. Since its establishment, Raven + Lily has expanded to employ over 1,500 marginalized women in Ethiopia, Kenya, Cambodia, India, Pakistan, Guatemala, and the United States. These women work for fair trade wages and have access to healthcare and education. As part of her partnership with the company, Shay traveled to India to meet the women firsthand and yesterday posted her video journal of her amazing trip.
On Shay’s trip, she learned how to make Raven + Lily soaps and journals and learned how to do block printing in a leprosy village.
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“One of my most memorable parts of my trip was visiting the home of single mother Ferdoz and her five daughters,” Shay says in her vlog. “Women in this Muslim community are not allowed to work outside their home, but Raven + Lily’s business model allows them to work on jewelry and paper goods from inside their home to respect the local culture. Ferdoz’s husband left her because she had five daughters, and he worried he could not provided for this many women and their dowries.” However, because Ferdoz and her daughters are employed by Raven + Lily, they now live comfortably in a home where they work and thrive, mentoring other women in their village.
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“It is so important to shop consciously and make purchases that help someone in need,” Shay says. “Not only will you feel good every time you wear your purchase, but you’ll have a great story to tell every time someone compliments you on what you’re wearing.”
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