Donating old bras to the 3rd world

[eedon]

This is happening at work. Surely our old bras that are worn out should just be binned, giving them to people in developing world is a bit insulting. I'd rather donate some money that can go towards buying them a new bra, not some worn out tatty bras that people in the 1st world have given.

Seeing at the pound shop can sell bras at a profit, I doubt these old bras could be refurbished without it costing more to just buy new ones.

I agree but i hear they like bras. I think of bras similar to pants and socks abit too personal to donate

Yabu to use the term 3rd world and 1st world...but, yes,,donating bras specifically does sound strange to me

YANBU. I seem to wear mine to destruction. Rather buy a few from PoundLand or off Amazon and donate those?

I believe it is because the women feel 'protected' wearing a bra, was there was evidence of less rape?

Which is sad really, that they are having to abandon their traditional way of dress (exposed breasts).

I have a wide selection of barely-worn bras in the wrong size (for me). You don't have to give tatty old ones.

Bare breasts are not 'traditional dress' across the developing world.

pinkje I really hope you're not saying what it looks as if you're saying.

You don't honestly believe that the entire female population of the third world (whatever that is) walks around with their chests exposed?

I think any that are not in reasonable condition are recycled - the metal wires go to scrap metal and the fabric shredded.

Many people in the UK throw loads of clothes away that are still in good wearable condition. This is criminal but if they are sent to Africa etc, people there can buy them in markets at prices that are affordable to them - otherwise they might not have a source of affordable clothing.

It is not insulting - in the UK/West we generally live a very luxurious and wasteful life compared with poorer countries.

I'd rather donate some money

So donate money to a different charitable enterprise instead. No one is forcing you to donate old bras. Will you donate money instead?

Well, I wouldn't donate old scraggy ones but I donated some just last week that were nice just too small!

otherwise they might not have a source of affordable clothing.

If you had any idea of how much the well dressed office workers of cities across the world despise the worn out tat that patronising charities dump there. And if any of it reaches a market it will be sold for extortionate prices.

People in the "third world" like new clothes. And are perfectly capable of making clothes to put in their shops. It is not all one enormous refugee camp.

I grew up in a third world country and getting a bra was a major headache, however donating clothes as a form of aid can kill of local industry so I'm against it.

I once saw a red shiny bra with cutouts where the nipples were (Ann Summers style) being sold on street corner where I grew up - the only thing that bra did was cause wonder and mirth from the locals at these weird foreigners.

Which is sad really, that they are having to abandon their traditional way of dress (exposed breasts).

OMG!
Whose they?

Ups
Who's they?????

this link (in Australasia, and they currently don't want donations) gives good explanations of the need and what is wanted. The general idea is that you don't send tatty worn out stuff, you send the vast excess that much of the developed world has.

www.upliftbras.org/

As I understand it, any that are tatty go for recycling same as other textiles.

This is the scheme I've seen:
Deposit your unwanted or unloved bras in a bra bank and you are helping to raise vital funds for research to improve breast cancer detection and survival. Against Breast Cancer have teamed up with BCR Global Textiles who help small businesses in Africa. Through their textile project they are preventing valuable textiles going to landfill giving them a new lease of life in developing countries across Africa where bras remain too expensive to produce. BCR donate £1,000 to breast cancer research for every tonne of bras collected, that's only 9,000 bras! With over 30 million women in the UK we really could help make a difference.

I don't think it's aimed at the 'well dressed office worker'.

I read an article, and in some cultures (can't remember precisely, May of been some villages in India that still operate an illegal caste system) she bras as wealthy and upper class and may help against rape.

I shared a link to donate bras on a feminist page and got a flaming for "enforcing my barberic western expectations of beauty upon other cultures"

I argued back that, of that want a bra, they can have a fucking bra, and we shouldn't be so patriarchal as to dictate that woman can't have a bra if they want one as it might change their culture.

Also, woman's bras change size a lot with all that childbirth related stuff, I've got some bras that will never fit me again.

That are still in good condition is what I wanted to add

I have some nice bras I have barely worn, or never worn, that I want to donate - also some breastfeeding tops and cloth nappies that I am sure our charity shop here wouldn't know what to do with.

If anyone has any links please let me know. here seems to be no collection point for refugees near here either which is shocking. At least I cannot find one.

Special. Bras are expensive. I have the sum total of three. I dread them wearing out as i have to replace. I have never had more than 3 bras and do think its a very personal item of clothing.

Gruach - and what about the subsistence farmers? In the village I lived in (West Africa) people were pretty grateful for any clothing they could afford. If they wanted to look smart and could afford it, they wore traditional dress. If they were working in the fields, or skint, or both then men worse 'dead mens clothes' (second hand western) and women an old wrappa plus western T-shirt. Lack of underwear was a perennial problem, esp bras and esp for women.

I have donated bras - Pre-pregnancy ones which 2 years after DC I have accepted are never going to fit me again!
In a lot of South pacific islands, they don't have access to decent bras and a lot of women need ones, esp in bigger sizes. (This was what I was told by the lady who I gave mine to.) Not sure if it's the same charity someone posted above.

I had a few barely worn bas after pregnancy and breastfeeding, my breasts changed so much and so quickly, maybe that't the sort of thing they were after? I think many of us have ill-fitting bras that are quite new.

london I don't have a huge wardrobe full of unworn items either. But plenty do and the point is that there is a home for them.

I wear clothes to destruction and they then go for rag recycling. But there are people that follow fashion or just plain have too much. If they want to clear some space without filling a landfill pit, this is an option.

I looked to donate worn bras recently, bus the Smalls for All charity. Those that are too knackered/tatty to wear can be sol as rags to raise money for the charity. Mine were very ragged!

Special. Me to. One day id love a wardrobe full of clothes. Like you may clothes are suitable for rugs by the time ive finished with them.