Smalls Goes Viral – Wow! I have read about social media campaigns going viral, but never thought that it would happen to Smalls for All. In less than a week our presence on Facebook has exploded from 900 likes to over 42,000 and we have been featured in the national media. Not sure what sparked the sudden interest, as not actively promoting our work, but absolutely delighted.

So a big warm thank you to everyone who is now a friend of Smalls for All, especially everyone who has started to collect underwear for us to distribute to women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa, or who has made a donation.

Your support means a lot – and it will mean even more to the women and children in Malawi, Kenya, Uganda and Sierra Leone where we do most of our work. In a world where you can buy a four pack of midi briefs for less than a fiver it is hard to imagine that millions of women and children own only one pair of pants, or none at all.

There are some people who argue that what charities like Smalls for All do is patronising, and hampers development in low income countries. I am not a development economist, or a politician, just someone who cannot bear the thought of other women and children going without something as basic as underwear when it can make such a big difference. So until the world has sorted itself out, and made sure that everyone can own decent underwear, then we will keep on doing what we can, in response to a very real need.

Now to the practical bit. Over the last few days thousands of people have got in touch to ask how they can help Smalls for All. Smalls is just a small charity, registered in Scotland. I work full time and spend my evenings, weekends and holidays doing Smalls and am very fortunate that I have good friends who all help on a volunteer basis. I’ve enlisted some help from these good friends and we are currently going through all the offers of help we have received and will endeavor to get in touch with everyone who has offered their support.

You can find out more about what we collect and how you can support us here https://www.smallsforall.org/donate/ and if you would like to send underwear, here is the address. We collect new pants for women and children and ALL bras – we send new or very gently worn bras to Africa, and recycle bras that are well worn to raise funds.

108 Buchanan Crescent
Eliburn
Livingston
Scotland
EH54 7EF.

We are also seeking a corporate partner in the UK who can help us set up a national collection and distribution network for future donations and will keep you posted about progress.

You can also make a donation to our work through MyDonate <https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/smallsforall> . There are, of course, some things pants won’t buy, and we use cash donations to help get our pile of pants to Africa, to educate 31 girls in Kenya and Uganda and pay for the education of approx 350 pre-school children in Malawi.

And of course don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for all our
latest news.

Thanks to everyone who has been in touch, and is helping to spread the word about Smalls for All and thanks to everyone who has promised to make a donation. Together, we can make a difference

.Maria x