July 24th, 2020
When I go to sleep in the summer, I wake up with sweat sticking to my face and hair. Acne comes, too. I try to get rid of it. I put my hair up. I sleep on my back. I use the air conditioner. Nothing helps. My cotton pillowcase doesn’t seem to help, either. It just traps the icky sweat and breeds more acne. I feel like I’m weathering a storm of some sort, and wonder when it will end.
Morning. The mirror.
My skin has not cleared up yet.
The storm has not passed.
I’ve been waiting for this. The package has arrived. It comes in a nondescript cardboard box. I bring the small box to the kitchen table and open it. Inside is another box, stylishly decorated in shades of pink, orange, and yellow. The box contains Eucalypso pillowcases. On its smooth surface, I read the words “Use for great skin and hair,” and the words “Hypoallergenic,” “Anti-Breakout,” and “Anti-Aging.” The pillowcases are made of environmentally-friendly eucalyptus fibers. I’ve read all about Eucalypso online, but even so, a part of me is doubtful.
A gold silk handle.
Could these really clear my skin?
I open the box.
The next few nights, I use the pillowcase. I’m surprised by how luxurious my sleep has become. It’s like I’m staying at a five-star hotel. At the end of a long day, I find myself looking forward to sinking my head into the super-soft pillowcase. Even so, there’s not much change to my skin. The cooling pillowcase banishes the summer sweat, but my acne remains. Days pass. I think maybe the storm will never end. Then one morning, something happens.
Look in the mirror
My skin is clearing up now.
Gold sun shines outside.
What is a Haibun
Written by Danielle Ranucci
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7 June, 12:00
Published by Danielle Ranucci
At Eucalypso, we are committed to making a positive social impact and improving peoples’ lives. We thought we would tell you a bit about our efforts to work towards a better future.
Every month, we donate a portion of our profit to charities, from environmental and sustainability funds to health and social justice funds. We believe that this helps promote good causes and contributes to finding solutions to important challenges facing us today.
In addition to trying to make a positive change through donations, we also partner with manufacturing facilities in Pakistan and help them with their mission to improve their workers’ lives. Their corporate social responsibility initiative has four pillars: a health clinic, equal opportunity hiring, female empowerment, and adult literacy.
We understand the importance of education and ensuring that everyone has equal access to a quality education. This is why the adult literacy school is the fourth pillar of our corporate social responsibility initiative.
Let's start with the health clinic and workers’ well-being. Since we partner very closely with our manufacturers, we see our employees as part of the Eucalypso family. We organize for them and their relatives to have routine check-ups at a health clinic. We also give them first-aid and fire safety training.
In emphasizing our “family’s” well-being, we want to make sure that they are working in fair and ethical conditions. Our strict workplace standards ensure that the factories are up to date with safety regulations, and our employees have contracts that guarantee that they are treated and paid fairly. They have ethical working hours and can take regular breaks. Off the clock, workers can receive food from our facilities at subsidized rates. They can even receive assistance in finding affordable housing!
We believe that everybody, regardless of gender, age, or education level, should have an equal opportunity for work. This is why the second pillar of our corporate social responsibility initiative is equal opportunity hiring. In fact, we are excited to say that our manufacturing facilities prioritize hiring women, who would otherwise have difficulty finding employment.
As a female-founded company, female empowerment is really important to us, which is why we made it the third pillar of our corporate social responsibility initiative. We provide women workers with management training, and then give them the opportunity to take leadership roles in the factory. We also have daycare centers for women with children, which means that our employees are able to have a worry-free workday. After work, women have the option of keeping their children in daycare while they attend the facility’s adult literacy school.
We understand the importance of education and ensuring that everyone has equal access to a quality education. This is why the adult literacy school is the fourth pillar of our corporate social responsibility initiative. In 2017, Pakistan had a literacy rate of about 58%. More than 71% of men were literate, but less than 47% of women could read and write. Many employees at our partner’s facility in Pakistan are illiterate, but the adult literacy school strives to empower them by giving them the rough equivalent of a high school education in reading and writing.
To fulfill its aim of transforming the lives of rural and semi-rural communities in the area, the school uses state-of-the-art technology. We are excited to say that this technology includes electricity, computers, and Wi-Fi--all of which may not be accessible in other parts of Pakistan. The adult literacy school’s aim, along with its technology, makes it one of the most sought-after educational institutions in the region.
We are extremely proud of our efforts to promote positive social change and help empower the community. Although we know that change does not happen overnight, we are committed to patience and persistence as we work towards a better future. We also want to thank you--for being part of the Eucalypso family and for helping us make a positive global impact.
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