Bras to help women in need

Debbie Batten

Melton council has signed on to a new project to collect new and secondhand bras at council offices this month, ready for shipment around the world.

Uplift Bras project co-ordinator Debbie Batten said that since 2005 the group has sent more than a million bras to women in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, the Northern Territory and Kimberley region of Western Australia.

Melton mayor Sophie Ramsey said the Uplift project was proving to be a great way to help women living in remote and disadvantaged communities.

“For many of us, not being able to purchase a bra is probably not something we even think about,” Cr Ramsey said.

“But many women, who will benefit from the project, may not have had the opportunity to own a bra before.”

Clean cloth nappies and new underwear are also welcome donations to the collection, but bras and lingerie of the less practical kind, and bodysuits, will not be accepted.

Donations can be made at the Caroline Springs and Melton libraries, Melton civic centre, and the Taylors Hill Youth and Community Centre.

For more information, visit www.upliftbras.org or call the council on 9747 7200.