Home > Talking Pants > Talking Pants – August 2024

Total underwear collected is 2,284,196

Thank you for sending us a pantastic 1,713 parcels in July.

YOU DID IT! We had a target of 14,000 pairs of pants donated through our buy-to-give wish list to celebrate our 14th birthday, and we achieved 14,756. Thank you so much for your support, and please help us keep it going. Donating this way helps Smalls, because it means we can get exactly what we really need – sizes, quality, styles – at any time to be able to fulfil the underwear requests we receive. Plus it’s quick and easy to do. https://www.smallsforall.org/buy-to-give/

As most of you may know, Smalls started after what was to be a one-off collection of underwear for an orphanage in Ethiopia. Never did I imagine that 14 years later we would have distributed over 2.2 million pairs of pants and bras, and be supporting adults and children in the UK as well as Africa. I’m really proud to be part of the Smalls team giving dignity to people in need, but there is a part of me that wishes Smalls didn’t need to exist. Times remain incredibly tough for some people, reflected in the ever-increasing number of requests we receive for underwear. So, I’d like to say a huge thanks to you – our friends and supporters – for continuing to help us provide dignity to as many people as we possibly can.

Since our last Talking Pants, we’ve provided new pants and new & gently worn bras to 10 organisations:

  • 170 pairs of pants to the School Bank, West Lothian.
  • 377 pairs of pants to the NNLS Destitute Asylum Seekers Drop In, an organisation based in London.
  • 860 pairs of pants to Care4Calais (Slough/Heathrow).
  • 14 bras to the Salvation Army in Bath for their women’s safehouse for victims of modern slavery.
  • 240 pairs of pants and bras to Quaker Social Action based in London for their Turn a Corner project.
  • 39,000 pairs of pants and bras to the Peaceful Trust for distribution to projects they support in Zambia.
  • 1,250 pairs of pants for the Edinburgh School Uniform Bank.
  • 930 pairs of pants and bras to ShowerBox, an organisation providing showers, toiletries and underwear to anyone in need.
  • 150 pairs of pants and bras to Two Brews, a homeless charity based in Manchester.
  • 1,386 pairs of pants and bras to the Uganda Youth Soccer Academy, supporting street children in Kampala.

Thanks to you, we were able to provide pants to Thondwe Girls Project recently. The Thondwe Girls Project is one of the projects within the Thondwe Partnership which links Thondwe CCAP church and community in Malawi with Innerleithen Traquair and Walkerburn church and community in the Scottish Borders. The Scottish Project Leader, Lois Hindley, told us, “We provide girls from Thondwe Primary School, Thondwe, near Zomba, Malawi with the means to manage their menstruation with dignity and confidence. 150 girls each year receive a kit with washable pads (shields and liners), two pairs of pants and a soap. One kit will enable a girl to attend school throughout the days of her period for 3 years and so make progress through school. The kits are made locally and distributed to the girls during a workshop where they learn the relevant information about how to look after the kit and themselves as they grow and develop. The pants are an essential part of the kit.

“Hannah was one of the girls who received a menstrual hygiene kit at the Thondwe Church distribution of 50 kits in 2017. At that time she was attending the local primary school. Recently she said, ‘Before I got my kit I had to use a piece of cloth when I had my period and I was scared to go to school as my pants were not good. I would be embarrassed if I got a stain on my clothes and was laughed at. Since getting the kit I’ve been able to go to school every day and join in with sports activities such as netball.’ Now Hannah is in Form 3 at St Anthony’s secondary school and earlier this year received a replacement menstrual hygiene kit. She hopes to complete her secondary education at the end of 2025.”

We also provided new pants to Little Green Sock Project recently. The organisation’s Catherine D’Albertansan told us, “Thank you, Smalls for All, for your incredible support in providing new underwear for our clothing packs. The generosity of your supporters ensures that every child we support can have a dignified experience. Really grateful for the support.”

These are just a couple of examples of the feedback we’ve received from recent donations we’ve made. While we post all the wonderful feedback we get on our social media, we appreciate that not everyone will see it there. However, you can find it on our website www.smallsforall.com too.

As always, thank you all for supporting Smalls,

Maria