In many African countries underwear is a luxury, with few people able to afford new knickers, pants and bras.  They are therefore forced to buy much cheaper second-hand/used underwear. Some governments have banned the trade of used underwear, but these garments often find themselves back on the market stalls as there are currently no cheap alternatives: People need underwear, and as you know Africa survives on the free market forces of demand and supply. Of course, there are ways the governments can ensure the safe trading of underwear: People can be encouraged to apply anti-bacterial detergents to prevent infections; there is plenty of cotton in Africa and the production of cheap underwear should be urged. For the time being however, there is one way WE can help. We are not going to be able to alleviate poverty from Africa overnight, and come up with solutions to fix the state of the continent, but we can donate FRESH NEW unopened packs of underwear that cost US next to nothing.
 
Underwear is a necessity.  No one deserves the humiliation of having to buy someone else’s used pants.  ‘Knickers 4 Africa’ hopes to collect and transport donated new underwear to places in Africa that need it most.

In October 2007, Emma Donovan went to Sierra Leone with the charity Mercy Ships for 2 weeks.  Before she went, a list of items was given out, on which was a plea for cotton pants.  Emma decided that she would challenge her friends, family and colleagues to help her fill a suitcase; knickers were soon coming in from everywhere, including many from people she did not know!  In total, Emma handed over 532 pairs to the clinic in Freetown, much to the Clinic Managers delight.  After a few conversations, Emma realised that underwear was in high demand, and decided to do something about it. Emma approached an old school friend, Celia Talbot, who grew up in Tanzania.  Celia has always had a great affection for Africa, and the welfare and livelihood of the people she had met and grown up with has always been of great importance to her. The two friends got together and formed Knickers 4 Africa to help bring about a change.  Africa cannot get rid of all its problems overnight, but with your help, they believe that together we can help make living a little easier.