Brit charity on 'Big Bra Hunt' to help African women

Melbourne, Apr 2 (ANI): British charity Oxfam's Big Bra Hunt aims to collect one million brassieres during April with the support of celebrities including Dame Helen Mirren, Zoe Ball and Miquita Oliver.

It has asked women in UK to donate their unwanted bras to help females in West Africa.

According to the charity, British women are hoarding nearly 1. 85 billion Australian dollars worth of unworn bras.

Many of the donated bras will be sold in Oxfam's high-street shops across the UK to raise money for its work worldwide. Others will be sent to its Frip Ethique (ethical second-hand clothing) project in Senegal.

Oxfam said the complex manufacturing required to make bras meant very few developing countries produced their own, making them one of the most desirable items in West Africa's second-hand clothing markets, the Courier Mail reported.

A poll for the charity found that one-third of all women keep brassieres they no longer wear because they forget they own them. Ten per cent did not know charities accepted second-hand bras.

"The Big Bra Hunt hopes to highlight that whilst these bras may not be of use to the average British woman, the jobs created and profits made from the trade and sale of these bras provide a unique opportunity for women in West Africa to provide for their families, send their kids to school and afford vital medicines," said Sarah Farquhar, Oxfam's head of retail. (ANI)