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We need 32,000 bras soon!
Intimo are funding the shipment of a container to Fiji. Can you help us fill it?
Donations towards shipping are always appreciated, and go to a Rotary account. Small amounts add up, $A10.00 sends 65 bras.
In Feb 2010, 30,000 bras were shipped ex-NSW to Tonga
In Nov 2009 65,000 bras were sent to PNG, and 90,000 to Fiji, both ex-Vic. These are presently being distributed.
In March 2010 another 10,000 bras will go from New Zealand to Vanuatu, the last of several such shipments, as Rachel our NZ coordinator is retiring.
Thank you to Rotary clubs of Cobar, Randwick, Maroubra, Double Bay and Bondi Junction for funding the shipping of the Tonga container.
Many thanks to Swire Shipping for the donation of the shipping of the PNG container.
Thank you ( as usual! ) to our regular donor Intimo for the donation of 40,000 bras, and the shipping of same.
Thanks also to the 130 people who've posted bras to Vic office over Jan/ Feb 2010 - they're Cook Islands bound.
A bra distribution day - Tonga 2008
Why Bras?
This project started because women in Fiji were asking aid workers and tourists for bras. The woman who initiated the project had often given away the bra she was wearing when in rural villages.
Disadvantaged Fijians get much of their clothing from second hand Australian clothes shops. Bras are rare in these shops, particularly in sizes to suit the indigenous Fijian build. A new bra costs $40, and wages range from $1.50- $4.50/hour, for those who have jobs. The bra situation is similar in other third world countries.
In heat and humidity, rashes, fungal/thrush infections and abscesses occur between the breast and the chest wall. Bras help by allowing air circulation. Nursing mums everywhere leak, and bras allow the dignity of a dry shirt, and the comfort of support. A thrush rash on a mother's skin may spread to her baby's mouth, and then back into the breast itself. In some regions the lack of a bra is a badge of poverty. Women appreciate the common dignity of a bra for church, business or social occasions.
Since 2005, Uplift, with assistance from Rotary Australia World Community Service, has sent 330,000 bras through secure channels, making sure they get to the women who need them without compromising their dignity. Uplift now ships bras to Red Cross Vanuatu, Red Cross Tonga, and YWCA & Red Cross PNG, as well as the Fijian Women's Society. Red Cross Cook Islands are next.
Uplift sends bras only where they are requested. We supply to import duty exempt organisations for distribution and fitting. We ship only in biodegradable packaging, and aim not to compete with local businesses.
Often the bra received through Uplift will be the only bra that woman owns.
