Donate used bras to support trafficking victims: Every woman likely has at least one bra in her dresser drawer that is in good condition, but it no longer fits her or is rarely worn. Rancho Bernardan Katherine Albitz holding bras she recently collected to help human trafficking victims overseas rebuild their lives. Bras can be left at her home through Aug. 31. Photo by Elizabeth Marie Himchak Instead of continuing to take up drawer space or being tossed in the trash, a Rancho Bernardan is asking women to let their no-longer-worn, gently-used bras to provide another kind of support — helping overseas human trafficking victims rebuild their lives. Through Aug. 31, Katherine Albitz is collecting bras for Free the Girls, an Indiana-based organization that since 2010 has collected, sorted and shipped more than 300,000 new and gently-used bras donated by women throughout North America to women in Central America and Africa. The recipients sell the bras to women in their communities to earn money to support themselves and their children. According to the organization’s website, the business opportunity is good for human trafficking victims because it has women selling to women — desirable since some of the victims are afraid or wary to deal with men due to past experiences. In addition, selling second-hand clothing can be profitable overseas and bras are usually sought. Sellers can earn up to five times the minimum wage in their communities. The women were typically sold into prostitution as 8- or 10-year-old girls and did not get an education, which they can obtain while selling bras since the latter is done as their schedule permits. The program starts at a safe house and is designed to sustain itself. Inventory sale revenue helps subsidize overseas program costs. “It appealed to me because I’m helping people set up a business, with the end goal for them to be self-supporting rather than depending on charity,” Albitz said. “(These women) are coming out of situations where they have been sucked into human trafficking and the women have very limited education,” she said. “I can’t imagine how messed up (their lives) are and it’s something very easy for people to do (to help). “Every woman has at least one or two bras in the back of her drawer that she has not worn out and does not fit right,” she said. While Free the Girls requests $1 be included with each bra to help with overseas shipping costs, Albitz said she is not asking people for the money and plans to cover the requested donation for each bra she collects because if a stranger asked her to give them money, she would be very hesitant to do so. She is directing anyone who would also like to contribute money make a donation through the organization’s website at freethegirls.org. Albitz said donors can place bras in a grocery bag and leave them under a sign she has placed by her front door. She lives at 11011 Matinal Circle in Rancho Bernardo’s Westwood neighborhood. This is the second time Albitz is collecting bras. The first time was about a year ago, when she gathered more than 50 from her family and friends. This time she decided to reach out to a larger audience, posting a message on the Nextdoor website and contacting the Rancho Bernardo Soroptimists to see if they could contribute since one of their club’s projects is helping human trafficking victims. Though the club is on summer break, members have agreed to donate some bras. The bra voyage Bras are collected through community drives or when people mail them to a sorting facility at Free the Girls, 1552 Pioneer Trail, Chesterton, IN 46304. Every four to six weeks volunteers gather for a bra packing party, where they sort donations and box gently used bras for shipment. Other donations they receive fall into one of three categories: • Non-bra items like underwear, socks, gift items and food are given to a charitable thrift store. • Unsalable bras — those in poor condition — are sent to a textile recycling company so bras stay out of landfills. • New bras — those with tags or surplus/overstock from companies — are boxed for the Free the Girls program in Uganda, which requires only new bras due to local regulations prohibiting the importation of used undergarments. Most bras received are packed in uniformly sized boxes, then placed on pallets and shrink wrapped for transport to LR International in Chicago, which stores them until there are enough boxes for a 40-foot shipping container — up to 670 boxes or 150,000-plus bras. The boxes are fumigated prior to shipment via cargo liner. It takes eight weeks to five months for the boxes to reach their destination. Upon arrival they have to clear customs before delivery to local programs that train the women on how to sell bras and run a business. First-time sellers are given 100 bras for resale and personal use. After the first batch the woman sells at her bra store — in whatever fashion that takes — she purchases additional supplies well below the local wholesale price and grows her business, which provides an income to improve her life and independently support her family.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 06:43:37 +0000
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