Undies for Africa

This is a Press Release I wrote this week for a campaign my friend is heading up. I decided to post it here to spread the word...

Making a Difference One Bra at a Time
By Lauren Bersaglio
Recently I had the good fortune of finding a store in Fort Langley called Nectar Lingerie. The store carries a variety of designer lingerie – everything from Betsey Johnson to high-end collections that, within the Lower Mainland, are exclusive to Nectar. After my first visit to the store I was hooked. I paid the lovely ladies there three visits within one week and each time I found something new. The staff is not only friendly and helpful, but also remarkably knowledgeable about their product. The girls at Nectar take the time to help customers discard the ‘grumpy bra’ – a term coined by Nectar employee Tara Teng, which defines any bra that sags, pinches, falls or squeezes – and find the perfect bra, complete with panties to match.
During one of my recent visits to Nectar, something new caught my eye, only this time it was not one of their lovely corsets. Nectar Lingerie has decided to take on a beautiful task. Teaming up with Village of Hope – Zambia, a non-profit organization that cares for vulnerable children within the nation Zambia through orphan homes, feeding programs, community schools and healthcare, Nectar Lingerie has launched the “Undies for Africa” campaign. Nectar Lingerie is collecting gently used bras and brand new underwear and donating them to the Village of Hope to help the women of Zambia.
Having proper bras and underwear is something that very often gets overlooked when considering the needs of a third world country; however, it is an important necessity. Many of these women cannot afford bras, and the underwear they have is second-hand, which opens the doors for infection to spread. In these countries, wearing undergarments are so rare that bras and underwear raise your social status and therefore, can provide protection for women against sexual abuse and rape. However, this can all be prevented with your help.
We all have bras in our drawers that we know don’t fit; they pinch, or the straps are too tight, or the underwire digs in. We rarely wear them and we regret it whenever we do. We don’t know what to do with these ‘grumpy bras’ so they get pushed into the back of our drawers, where they live out their existence without purpose. This is where Nectar comes in. You probably never thought you could make a difference with one of these bras; but one woman’s ‘grumpy bra’ is another woman’s perfect match. So why not pass them on to the women of Zambia and help Nectar Lingerie make a difference?
What makes a bra a ‘grumpy bra’ is the way it fits. I learnt from the girls at Nectar that most women are wearing the wrong sized bra right now – most probably you are one of these women. I went from being a proud C cup to an even prouder double D. I brought in my old bras; the girls at Nectar fit me in to the right bras, and they gave me a ten percent discount to show their appreciation for my support of their campaign. The end result? Not only are my girls happier, but several women in Zambia are about to receive a gift that we take for granted: clean, quality underwear.