2 December 2013

Bra collection helps to 'free the girls'

Hundreds of bras donated by students and staff at universities and colleges in Dundee and St Andrews are helping tackle human trafficking and slavery in Africa.

Earlier this year an appeal was launched at the Universities of Abertay, Dundee and St Andrews, and Dundee College for bras to be donated for the charity Free The Girls. The appeal was also supported by the Al-Maktoum Institute in Dundee.

More than 750 bras were donated, which equates to 54 kilos. The bars joined a shipment of more than 70,000 sent to Mozambique by the US-based charity, where they are then given to women who have been affected by human trafficking and slavery.

The women then sell the bras at local markets, giving them an income which helps them establish a stable life for themselves and their families and keep them from traffickers.

The collection in Dundee and St Andrews was co-ordinated by Cory Campbell, a student at Abertay University, and his wife Lisa, who is Procurement Manager at the University of Dundee.

'This was the first collection done for Free The Girls outside of the USA and we have had a wonderful response from the student associations,' said Lisa. 'These collections are making a real difference in Mozambique.'

Kimba Langas, co-founder of Free The Girls, has sent a video message thanking all in Tayside and Fife who donated their bras for the cause.

For more about Free The Girls see: freethegirls.org.

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07800 581902