When Delivering Good offered to donate sixteen pallets of bras and underwear to Restore Global, we, naturally, accepted without hesitation. What we had yet to understand was the power of these simple pieces of clothing. Through Restore Global's collaborative effort with nineteen nonprofit partners, thousands of women and children all over the world received undergarments. Our partners were kind enough to share their stories with us, and we are in awe of what our nonprofit partners (and a little bit of collaboration) can do.
Two of our local partners heard that we were distributing underwear through our Restore Global - Weekly Update. Both were delighted to learn that we had this precious commodity in our warehouse, and each was able to use these underwear to empower young girls in our community.
Pineville Neighbor's Place's Jane Shutt shared this story with me. "We [got] dozens of pairs of girls underwear [from Restore Global] to donate to Pineville Elementary. They keep an inventory of them in case of bathroom accidents. The nurse was so excited to get them that I got a hug!"
Foster Village Charlotte included the underwear they received from Restore Global in their welcome pack for foster families. One family expressed their gratitude in this quote after receiving a welcome pack for their nine-year-old girl. “I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to Foster Village! Our first placement, a 9-year-old girl, arrived last night with very few clothes that fit and no necessities (underwear, socks, pj's, etc.). The social worker made a referral this morning, and by 5 pm tonight, this young lady is fully outfitted with all necessities and more. You made my day so much easier and made one little girl feel truly special and happy.”
Days for Girls (DfG) reached out to Restore Global about partnership after hearing that we were distributing girls underwear. Days for Girls uses brightly colored underwear in their DfG Kits, designed to help mobilize girls and women during menstruation, to hide staining and prevent embarrassment. Although we were thrilled to find a partner who would be able to utilize thousands of pairs of underwear, the light-colored garments didn't fit Days for Girls' mission. After some quick thinking and ingenuity, however, Days for Girls came up with the plan to hand-dye their underwear and include them in kits to be distributed around the world.
Ellen Engle from GAiN, one of Restore Global's core international partners, explained that in North Africa and Chad, although cotton underwear are seen as "granny panties," women were excited to receive these items once they understood that cotton breathes much better than synthetic materials. "Receiving two pairs, one to wear and one to wash at the same time," also allows these women to rotate through their underwear without skipping days of wear.
Ellen further explained that she and her team learned of a women's prison in Zimbabwe, where women rotated through underwear as each got her period. GAiN provided LuoPacks containing "two pairs of underwear, six washable, reusable feminine pads called LuoPads, two safety pins, a waterproof bag, and washing instructions" for the women's prison, and their partner located in the area was able to distribute them.
"In Malawi, the women were extra grateful as it is difficult to find cotton underwear in the markets. They are so much better in hot weather. Everyone appreciates them. The women sang us songs to say thank you!" The video below, taken by one of Ellen's teammates, captured this heartwarming moment.
We, at Restore Global, are proud of the diligent work of our nonprofit partners, and we're continuously thankful that we work with some of the most hard-working, influential people in our community. From all of us, thank you, Delivering Good, for allowing us to help empower women and girls around the world. Your nonprofit is making a world of difference.