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Thursday, 4 July 2019

Smalls for all

This is a post unlike any other that I have written - it's not about sewing, or knitting or anything to do with day to day mid-life.  It's about bras.  No, it isn't a fashion post either! 

What do you do with your old bras?  Charity shops don't like used underwear donations and you can't recycle them in your household bins.  But there are ladies out there whose life would literally change for the want of a bra.

The school I used to work at sponsored a school in Uganda so I guess I'm a little more aware of the difference between life for girls in Africa compared to the UK.  Things we take for granted are either not available there or beyond the financial reach of the average family.  We may moan about the price of feminine hygiene products here and campaign for them to be tax free, but at least they are available and we all manage to find the money to buy them.  Things are not the same in Africa.

Can you imagine underwear being seen as a luxury?  Something you could only hope for but not ever assume that you may own?  So those old bras of ours, hanging around in the corners of your 'knicker drawer', don't quite fit any more, straps have gone a bit loose, don't really like the style now - we're not going to wear them, but to a young girl in a village in Malawi or Ethiopia it would make so much difference.  Quite apart from being more comfortable, it gives her respect and pride in how she feels.

I've just gone through my drawer and found three that I don't wear anymore.  Nothing really wrong with them, 1 didn't fit that well in the first place, 1 had stretched a bit and the other one was very similar to another that I owned.  So I've packaged them up and sent them to Smalls for All which is a small charity specialising in sending undies to underprivileged places.  I'm sure there are others, but please consider doing the same next time you are having a clear out.  One lady's unwanted bra is another lady's luxury item.

5 comments:

  1. Yes it's an everyday item we take for granted ... there's a big campaign on locally for us (men & women) to donate feminine hygiene products which will go to our First Nations in Northern Ontario. I'll ask about donating bras. Thanks for bringing to our thoughts.

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  2. Thanks for that useful information. I've never really given underwear a thought. It's definitely something I take for granted. I cleaned out my bras about a year ago when I finally found one I really liked. I had at least a dozen that were nearly new. I did put them in with other clothes that went to "Goodwill." I have no idea whether they kept them or not.

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  3. That's a useful way to recycle oldish bras - there doesn't seem to be a downside, either. I donate directly to someone in need. Win win.

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  4. Thank-you so much for bringing this to our attention - that is such a great thing to support, and I am off to follow the link :).

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  5. Oh, Deb, what a heartwarming post and act of kindness. I followed your links and would like to donate but wonder if perhaps I should make a monetary donation since sending my gently used bras would be rather expensive from here in the states. Will investigate further or see if there is something similar here in the U.S.

    Thank you for your kind efforts and for sharing with all of us. It is amazing what we (I) take for granted.

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