Donate a bra and make a difference
JOBURG – “I discovered that in the UK, bras donated to charity shops are sent to fabric recycling and are shredded to become under-carpet matting and cushion filling.”
Kensington resident Terry-Ann Selikow is collecting pre-owned and new bras and panties for women who can’t afford their own as part of the ZABRA-AfreeBra initiative.
The ZABRA-AfreeBra initiative was founded in 2015 by Jeanette Kruger and co-founder Nandi Msezane.
Kruger, who is based in the United Kingdom, said she started the initiative in London with four of her own bras and 36 from friends.
“The initiative started when I wanted to donate some of my own bras. I discovered that in the UK, bras donated to charity shops are sent to fabric recycling and are shredded to become under-carpet matting and cushion filling, or they are sent to landfill.
“I thought it was such a waste. I knew if I could get the bras to South Africa I would be able to give them to someone who’d be able to use them. The plan was to send the bras with people travelling from the UK to South Africa to hand over to women who may need them,” she said.
Kruger said bras that are collected in South Africa remain in the country.
“Our local CupHolders help us to identify organisations looking after women. Majority of the items go to homeless shelters, shelters for abused, rape and human trafficking victims. If anyone knows about an organisation or work with an organisation that needs bras, they can get in touch with us via our Facebook page or send us an email. The bras are a gift and not for resale. It’s for the organisations to be given to the women in their care.
“We support over 80 organisations worldwide, but the majority of organisations are in South Africa. From the UK, we also support refugee camps in Syria, Greece, Macedonia, Lebanon, South Sudan and charities in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Rwanda and India. We collect pre-owned and new bras for women who can’t afford their own. We don’t deal with the women directly. We do a different kind of recycling and change women’s lives, one bra at a time,” she said.
Kruger said residents can help by cleaning out their own cupboards.
“They can also help to create awareness with friends, family and colleagues and start collecting bras and panties and other items of underwear. We also accept socks, tights, vests, slips and sanitary products. Really, anything that people would like to donate, as we work with many other organisations,” she said.
Selikow, who is helping with the collection of bras said the bra collection project is very important to her as the lack of affordable gender-specific products, such as bras, tampons and pads, impacts negatively on economically marginalised women.
“When pre-loved items are donated, bras are usually not included as they are not perceived as priority clothing, but rather as optional fashion items or to sexualise the female body. In reality, bras are practical and functional.
“For example, they support breasts so that women can carry out tasks and work efficiently and they mitigate potential back problems for women with large breasts. Many women also say that wearing a bra gives them a sense of dignity,” she said.
Those who would like to donate can drop off bras with one of the CupHolders, Rebecca Kemp Pogir or at Anjo Wash and Stitch, a new eco-laundry in Park Meadows.
They can also contact Rebecca Kemp Pogir on 071 671 7923, Wash & Stitch on 063 247 2300 or send a Whatsapp message to Jeanette Kruger on +44 (0)7595 475263.
