from w
The daughter-in-law of one of our Rotary friends who helps a lot at the Donation in Kind Depot has been collecting bras for the women in rural areas of Fiji and the Age ran an article about her project - called Uplift Fiji perhaps - you know, like a kelpie dog chasing sheep - round 'em up and point in the right direction. Okay, no more bust jokes. Anyway the young woman got a phone call this week from someone who said they had a few for her. 20,000 pairs! Mostly new I think. So that will certainly be nice gifts for the Fiji women up to size 26 F I believe.
So when we were talking about this yesterday, one guy said that someone had rung up that they had excess stock of surgical gloves and would Rotary Donation in Kind like them to send on. Yes. Well, a semi-trailer arrived with them. Well, I think that surely is an exaggeration!
Then, Heather, not to be outdone, and she has just returned from 3 months in Fiji distributing goodies to villages and settlements, including bras for the women, said that she went to church in a village and the women were not listening to the sermon, they were just checking out the nice lines on the other female singers in the choir! Hmm. And then we remember the time in Oz a few years back when we were getting rid of our bras and swinging along freely!
Peceli and I go to the Donation in Kind depot once or twice a week to sort books, linen, furniture etc. to send to Vanuatu, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and other neighbouring countries. Last week three young woman and a little girl from near Werribee came to help us sort books. Thank you Lutu, Mere, Kara and Elisapeci - they hail from the island of Tuvuca on paternal side,... and Gau on the maternal side, but don't hold that against them!
(added later) Link to the project website is here. And a picture from Liz's website. I presume they mean Serua, not Gerua.
Hello, Noelene here from WAC... Hope you're both well!!! Just got this sent to me. Can I ask a favour? Can you ask your Rotary 'Bra' contacts to remember the urban and rural informal settlement women in their visits, as they are some of the poorest and often-forgotten women in development and charitable initiatives :)
ReplyDeleteCheers and thanks, Noelene N
Hello Noelene,
ReplyDeleteYou are so right. It is easy to connect with a village but difficult to resource those struggling families in the outer urban areas and also the isolated ones in the country. I'll talk to Heather next week about it.
Good on you in your work in Suva in such difficult times.
w.
This is a good common sense Blog. Very helpful to one who is just finding the resources about this part. It will certainly help educate me.
ReplyDelete