Marg Duggan from Undercover Sleepwear and Lingerie in Forbes has joined forces with a national Uplift Project, which collects new and second hand bras and sends them wherever they have requests.

“To encourage ladies to donate their old bras, I am offering a discount on new bras when you donate an old one,” explains Marg. “Donate one bra and receive a 10% discount on a new one, donate two bras and receive a 20% discount, and donate three bras and I’ll give you a 30% discount on new bras.”

Having previously taken part in a Trade A Bra promotion (in conjunction with Triumph and Berlei – who collected the traded bras and re-distributed them to those in need in Asia and Africa), Marg has customers who regularly drop in their old bras for recycling; “I already have 53 bras in good condition ready to forward for Uplift,” she says.

“Uplift is so worthwhile,” Marg stresses. Women appreciate the common dignity of a bra for business or social occasions. Bras control breast swing when women bend to garden or cook at ground level. In humid climates rashes, fungal infections and abscesses occur between the breast and the chest wall. Bras help by allowing air circulation. Nursing mums everywhere leak, and bras allow the dignity of a dry shirt, and the comfort of support.

In a 2012 Report of Bra Distribution, Rose Wale from the Solomon Islands commented, “Women feel a tremendous obligation to meet the needs of their families, and so for any woman in the village to spend money buying a bra for herself can almost be seen as an unforgivable sin. The priority for women’s spending is food and education needs of children.”?

Since 2005, Uplift, with assistance from Intimo and Rotary Australia World Community Service, has sent over a million bras wherever women have requested them. Uplift tries to ensure they get to the women who need them without compromising their dignity; they have sent bras to Fiji, PNG, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Philippines, Bali, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, the Northern Territory and the Kimberley regions in Australia.

On a day-to-day basis Marg sees how important a correctly fitted bra is to the comfort and confidence of women, so she has a keen understanding of the difference this project can make to disadvantaged women. “I have such beautiful customers, and I know they will get satisfaction from doing something small, which will make a big difference to disadvantaged women,” says Marg. “As a bonus, they’ll receive a correct fitting, and make a saving on their purchase.”

Often the bra received through Uplift will be the only bra that woman owns. Marg aims to collect at least 200 bras to donate to Uplift. For more information, please visit Marg at 61 Rankin Street or phone (02) 6851 4405.

WHAT IS NEEDED?

Size 8-16, A-D cup in good condition, including crop top styles.

Size 18+, A-D cup These rare and precious bras - any condition will do.

Nursing bras including crop tops, ANY condition will do. If it will catch a leak it is better than nothing, which is the alternative.

E cup plus ANY size - even rarer.

Mastectomy Bras and Breast Forms (prostheses) These are like gold.

Swimwear, any size Swimwear is great for keeping warm if you are standing in the water fishing with a hand line for a couple of hours. It is also handy for coastal women who dive for cash crops.

Underpants, new A girl without underpants does not go to school during her period.

Fabric nappies, second hand or new In some areas, fabric nappies are expensive to buy so mums often buy one disposable at a time. That money is better spent on food for Mum.