International Women's Day #empoweringwomen

Just before International Women’s Day Goods For Good received an SOS from an NGO working in Lesbos shared the following:

 “Mothers, having just given birth, are leaving hospital in soiled clothing. They enter the hospital wearing the single outfit they own and so must leave in it, too.  There is a shortage in Lesbos of suitable underwear, sanitary pads, and comfortable, stretchy clothing.”

 Imagine being without nappies for your baby, your children having outgrown their shoes with no replacements, and your clothes are worn and ripped. We were conscious that if this was the case for hundreds of women in the refugee camps in Lesbos, this must also be a problem for refugees around the world. So, we quickly mobilised our industry contacts, and with the help of our corporate partners we sourced new clothing for these beautiful new mothers so they can truly enjoy such a joyous time. 

 We have the goods ready; we just need the funds to deliver them.

 This made us reflect how we have supported women over the years; we would like to share some stories of women we have helped.

 95-year old Anna, a bed-bound Holocaust survivor living in Kishinev was desperate for bedding and incontinence pads. She hadn’t had any new bedding for over twenty-five years. Together with The Comfy Group we delivered comfort, dignity and joy.

We met a 28-year-old mum living near Beltsy in Moldova, with her 9-yearold daughter. Her husband had travelled abroad in search of a job but hadn’t returned. With no money to pay for food, rent and electricity, and her hairdressing training of no use in the village, she turned to us for help. The toy we delivered to little Darya, generously donated by My 1^st Years was the first new toy she had ever seen. She called her pink bunny Rosie after our founder, Rosalind.

We heard about 40-year-old Victoria living in Kishinev, in Moldova, whose husband travelled abroad to find work but never contacted her or her son David again. Grief stricken and and disbelieving, her mental health began to suffer . The Nike sports shoes and clothing we sent gave her the confidence to run for the first time in her life.  She began to relieve her stress through sports, and her newfound confidence gave her a new lease of life. She started to volunteer to help others. One pair of shoes reinvigorated Victoria’s life in a way we never imagined possible.

 We want to continue to support people such as the women in these stories. Our small UK based charity knows how help, we have distributed £20m worth of goods in just over 5 years. This is to 24 countries across 5 continents.
With your help we can continue to do just this and support more inspirational women across the world.