PETALING JAYA, Sept 12 — You may give away your old clothes but your bras? But the thing is bras are as much needed as those T-shirts or shorts.
The Uplift Project is a movement started in Australia back in 2005 to collect and donate bras to impoverished communities. The initiative spread to other countries like New Zealand, Fiji and Singapore.
And in March 2014, 18-year-old Nicole Lee started the Malaysian chapter of Uplift Project.
“I wanted to do something meaningful and out-of-the-box, that's why I chose the Uplift Project,” said Lee. The first Uplift Malaysia event was at Stella's Market in Centrepoint, Bandar Utama and it was followed by Markets at Jaya One recently.
Born in Singapore but raised in Malaysia, Lee is currently studying A-levels at Alice Smith School, Kuala Lumpur. Her math teacher founded the Singapore chapter of the Uplift Project and Lee got the idea and inspiration from her to start this initiative. One of the reasons why Lee got involved with Uplift Project was also because her course required her to do 150 hours of community service.
Throughout the entire period, Lee and her volunteers continued to collect bras. Starting next year, Lee will be continuing her studies abroad but she already has someone in mind to continue the legacy of empowering women through bra donation.
So far, about 800 bras have been donated to countries such as Nepal, Laos and Cambodia. Another 800 bras was collected by Lee's coordinator. Lee personally visited Luang Prabang in Laos to meet the women who received the bras. Towards the end of this year, she will be visiting Nepal as part of Uplift Malaysia's outreach programme.
“First, we collect bras from donations. Then we contact NGOs who need bras and we ask them what sizes they need. We would then send the bras via post or visit the village if there is someone who is willing to sponsor. Uplift Project only works with verified NGOs that have been approved by other Uplift coordinators from other countries,” explained Lee.
After the bras have been donated, a photo of the women receiving the bras will be sent to Uplift to show that they have been received.
Donating used bras not only help women in need but it saves the environment because throwing bras away would just add to landfills. By donating bras to women in need like victims of sex trafficking, they can make a living by selling used bras and they can also fund their education. “The bras give them dignity and they are able to start a new chapter in life,” said Lee.
Uplift Project is not picky about the bras they receive but they prefer plain ones that are not too lacy. Strapless bras are also not needed unless there is a request for it.
Basically, anything from sizes 32 to 36 are recommended because these are the usual sizes for Asian countries. Cup size is not limited to a certain type but the general cup size is from A to B. Oversized and maternity bras are donated to countries in Africa where the women have larger breasts.
What motivates Lee to keep going is the smile on people's faces when they receive the donated bras. She is glad that the communities she impacts are grateful for what she has done for them. Also, starting Uplift Malaysia inspires other people to do the same and that makes her happy.
But she also faced challenges starting this project. “People who think bras are disgusting,” said Lee when asked about the difficulties she faced. Also, it is hard to get guys to volunteer for Uplift Malaysia because they don't feel comfortable with the whole project.
Uplift Project also encourages money donations which are used to buy sanitary pads for the underprivileged communities. Out of the hundreds of used bras, some donors also donate new bras.
For more information about Uplift Malaysia, click here.
