Dundee fund-raisers are set to send thousands of pairs of pants to women in Africa.
The Knickers 4 Africa campaign has seen campaigners spend the last fortnight collecting pairs during Dundee Women’s Festival, with International Women’s Day on March 8.
It has prompted a “remarkable” response, with more than 4000 pairs of underwear donated to charities operating in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Zaire.
The idea for Knickers for Africa came from the festival’s organisers. Campaigners say that in many African countries underwear is a luxury and many women are forced to buy used underwear, or even go without something the charities say is “demeaning and degrading.”
Caroline Bairner, one of the organisers and an adult learning worker at the Ardler Complex in Dundee, said, “Underwear is a basic necessity. No one deserves the humiliation of having to buy someone else’s used pants. Everyone’s dignity should allow them to have their own underwear.
“We were hoping for 2000 pairs from the whole of Dundee, but I’ve just discovered that there’s 1941 pairs here at Ardler alone. I think we have around double what we originally aimed for.”
The idea gathered momentum after being suggested at a Dundee Women’s Festival meeting. The appeal started on February 28 and the response has overwhelmed campaigners.
Caroline said, “We’ve had a pants-o-meter to gauge how many pairs we’ve received, and a huge pair of pants at reception to get people’s attention.
“We’ve had different community groups getting involved WeightWatchers, Girl Guides, even one department store in the Wellgate shopping centre in Dundee, Peacocks, which donated more than 250 pairs for us as well.
“It’s been great fun to be involved with.”
The underwear has been collected by the Dundee Soroptimists and will be delivered to the charities who will distribute them throughout the different African countries.
Photo by Flickr user Fraket.