Parcels for South Africa

To the ladies who submitted their intention to donate to the winter appeal for South Africa, due to an unforeseen circumstances, i am now moving forward parcels i am sending to South Africa at the end of March (if possible). So if you still want to proceed with your contribution, please send the items to me asap so i can prep them up and include in the boxes. If i do not get my target of winter sets, i will still send the parcels as soon as i can.

Postal address is Dress A Girl Australia, P.O. Box 240 Casula Mall Casula NSW 2170.

My apologies for such a short notice. Thank you.

What's up Dress A Girl Australia?

Busy preparing for my first market of the year next month so if I dont respond to your emails promptly, I am not ignoring them. Just trying to organize my time in such a way that I get to allocate whatever spare time I've got at night with all the activities I want to accomplish. Thank you for your patience.

Winter Appeal 2014 #1 & #2 - From Mo and Monika

Am starting to fill up my winter appeal box for South Africa and the first 2 sets donated for the Winter appeal for South Africa comes from Mo O'Brien and Monika Osvald. Hopefully by the end of this week after I have opened up parcels with winter clothing, I would have an idea if I would still need more.

Thank you so much to Mo and Monika. Your unwavering support is so, so  much appreciated. Thank you.

Arts & Book Supplies #2 - From Monika and Dress A Girl Australia

Second batch of art supplies for the Indi_Kindi project which I am collecting is from Monika Osvald for the kids of Borroloola, NT to enjoy. 

Also, this year I am saving up for a lot of school supplies such as exercise books and pens which I will distribute mid of this year to selected schools around Asia. Since I cannot afford to sponsor a child on a monthly basis to go to school, I thought providing school supplies every now and then will be good enough to compensate for it. Last week after checking out my fly buy points and found out that I had accumulated points enough to buy $10.00 worth of school supplies, I bought exercise books and pens which were on its final days of sale. I was able to buy 32 exercise books and 5 packs of pens which had 10 pens on each pack. Quite a good value for money which I saved up from grocery shopping. And also I received 2 packs of rulers and 2 sharpeners from Monika. Here are the items that is now starting to fill up my school supplies' box -

To Monika, thank you for the rulers and sharpeners. It is much appreciated.

Donation Acknowledgement FY14/#1 - From Monika

This is the start of acknowledging donations for the year 2014 and am starting with parcels that I think have contributions to the winter appeal and art supplies for the Indi_Kindi project. First on the list is a parcel of 13 dresses, soft toys, socks and undies from Monika Osvald. Here are the contents of the first parcel of dresses for the year - a bit tired now at this time but I hope I get this right.

The soft toys, 4 pairs of shorts and 5 sets of t-shirts/shorts will be allocated to the children of the hinterland areas of CDO Phils for Easter distribution. The 13 dresses will be allocated later in the year to targeted locations for distributions this year by Dress A Girl Australia.

To Monika, thank you for your consistent support of Australia's Dress A Girl Around the World campaign and other charity drives it organizes. It is very much appreciated. Thank you.

Feedback on Dress Distribution from Bohol Philippines

Dress distribution was done last Feb 25 in Bohol Philippines by Norie Bordador and group in the open grounds of the Cambigsi Elementary School. It was a day of fun and delight for almost 200 children who were so eager to receive new dresses according to Norie. They all loved their new dresses and for some whose parents were with them, they got teary-eyed seeing their kids getting new dresses. Here are some pictures from the distribution and am not really sure how they all managed to control the kids to have such an organized distribution. It was also the day where every kid got free lunch.

And this is Norie upon arrival in Bohol with the parcels of dresses -

My wholehearted thank you to Norie and the group who travelled with her to Bohol and the teachers and local residents who helped make the distribution possible. Thank you so much.

For larger and individual images of the distribution, please click here.

New items added in shop

In order to raise money for the cost of sending dresses to different less fortunate locations around the world for the year 2014, I have added new lavender items for sale in the e-shop donated by Lynette Granger. I have also added a new section for Gifts for Baby.

To purchase the lavender bags, please click here or click on the image below.

To checkout the new Gifts for Baby section, please click here or click on the image below. Available at this time is the D-I-Y Baby Handprint Kit which gives a lasting impression of baby's hand. Save your baby's precious handprint forever with a high-quality lasting impression.

More items will be made available for purchase in the next few weeks. Proceeds from the sale of any items on this e-shop goes straight to the postage fund of Dress A Girl Australia. The more items the shop sells, the more disadvantaged girls gets to own and wear new dresses. So please help spread the word around of the items for sale in Dress  A Girl Australia's shop. I know a lot of you are asking how you can help aside from sewing and donating dresses. Spreading the word around about this shop will be a big help and highly appreciated. Thank you.

Arts & Book Supplies #1 - From Mo and Dress A Girl Australia

Am starting to open parcels especially if I know the parcels contain items for the South Africa Winter Appeal and the Indi_Kindi project. First on the list are a bunch of colouring pencils from Mo O'Brien. And while looking for something to dispose in my garage a few months ago I found a bunch of notepads and a packet of Crayola Brush Tips which I decided to keep as they might come in handy in the future. And I was right.

Just when I decided to take them to work this morning, one of the trains did an unscheduled maintenance at Holsworthy station and created a confusion on which trains where going where. I had to board and then get off  a train three times since what they had on the electronic board was different from what was announced on the train which was bad news for me as I had an extra heavy bag to carry as the notepads were heavy. It took me an hour and a half to get to work when normally only takes half-an-hour. Anyway, I got all these supplies piled up in my locker at work now and will be put in a box once I receive the box to use and so with the rest of what I will be able to collect.

To Mo, thank you so much for the art supplies. These kids for some unexplainable reasons seem to enjoy drawing and colouring so am sure they will enjoy each and every pencil on this bunch. Thank you.

More info on the Tasmania group

Last Sunday I posted a picture of one of the sewing ladies of Dress A Girl (Around the World) Australia from South of Hobart Tasmania. On the same day I received a group picture from Susanne of the members of a new group that was formed within the church of All Saints' Anglican Church at South Hobart. The aim of the group is to help others in times of need no matter where they live. Sewing dresses is their first project. Next month and taking advantage of their cooking skills this time, they are making soup and casseroles to freeze and distribute when needed. The group is open to all members of the congregation and their friends just in case there is anyone out there from the South of Hobart looking for something worthwhile to do in their spare time.

The photo above was taken when they did their sewing session which includes a young man by the name of Alec who made one of the little dolls for them. Isn't that nice and inspiring! They are hoping to finish about 50 dresses and there were more offers of fabric donation from the people who attended the church that day. 

Thank you Susanne for organizing and inspiring others to make a difference. It is much appreciated.

Lavender Bags from Lynn

Her parcels are always filled with heart stickers and the one I picked up last Saturday was no exception. Inside the small box were a dozen lavender bags which Lyn Granger sent for me to sell in my shop in order to raise money for postage.

I sent her a thank you email last Sunday and this is her response today which I thought I should post and share with everyone -
=================================================================

From: Lynn []
Sent: Tuesday, 4 March 2014 7:52 AM
To: <>
Subject: Re: Lavender Bags

Good morning Gigi
Thank you for your email i am so happy to be part of your good work that you do I think what you do is such a good I have selection of dresses and shorts to send I shall be doing that in a couple of days I love being part of this it gives me so much joy and keeps my skills alive and in doing it goes out to a very good course I hope the Lavender bags does well for

Much love Lynette Granger 

==================================================================

It is such a nice feeling to know that what I am doing gives so much joy to other people not only with the less fortunate girls around the world but also for those who are sewing dresses. Whatever frustrations you had encountered during the day...they manage to disappear when you receive and read emails of this kind...so full of love and sincerity.

To Lynn, thank you so much for all the support you have provided to this campaign. Thank you for helping make a difference to the lives of the less fortunate children around the world. It is so much appreciated. And for the lavender bags, a wholehearted thank you. 

Donation to Days for Girls (Oatley Sydney Chapter)

After careful consideration about a month ago that I will not be able to offer my assistance in distributing Days for Girls Kits to different needy locations around the world as some chapters in the US who are involved in the Dress A Girl Around the World campaign in the US do, I thought I would just make a personal contribution to the organization. The 100% quilting cottons of about 10 meters are from my personal fabric collection and the 10 metres PUL I purchased with the intention of donating to Days for Girls Oatley. I have also included some excellent towelling materials which they can make into face towels. Am sure it will not be that hard to sew face towels. These towelling materials I used to make teddy bears with it.

Here is the 10-kilo parcel I packed last night to be sent to Beverley de Meur of Oatley –

and here are the contents of the parcel.

1) 10 metres of PUL materials

2) About 10 metres or more of 100% quilting cotton materials

3) About 6 metres of towelling materials

4) 1 box of 100 extra large resealable bags

5) 4 packs of 4 mini laundry soaps per pack

I hope these materials will be good enough for the organization to use to make more kits. These items will be sent to the Days for Girls Oatley chapter in Sydney as soon as I have the chance to take it to the postoffice.

Sewing Ladies

While I have been busy with other stuff not related to Dress A Girl Australia activities, here is a couple of ladies who have been busy sewing dresses for Dress A Girl (Around the World) Australia.

Bett Holmes from Queensland on the left and Susanne Nixon from Tasmania on the right. Susanne just let me know that they have formed a sewing group in their parish. Thank you so much Ladies for your support. Much appreciated.

A couple of reminders

Good Morning to all! Work has been eating up most of my time the past two weeks with non-negotiable deadlines, I finally was able to catch up until very late last night with labels, patterns and responses to emails. This tight work schedule will be going on till end of April. 

First reminder : Just wanted to advise those who submitted for the Winter Appeal for South Africa, if you are ready with your items, to please start sending them to my postal address when you have the time. Although I already have an idea, having received the items will allow me to confirm what I already have and what I would still need and I can start putting them in the box. I intend to send the boxes towards the end of May. Thanks a lot for your contributions. Much appreciated.

Postal address is Dress A Girl Australia
                        P.O. Box 240
                        Casula Mall Casula
                        NSW 2170

All requests for patterns and labels have been posted this morning. Thank you for your patience. 

Second reminder : Labels need to be attached to the front of the dress (i.e. somewhere in the pocket area if the dress has a pocket ) and not on the neckline. Thanks!

Arts, Craft and Book Supplies

I posted this in my facebook page but missed here in my blog. I am collecting colouring pencils,crayons, note pads and children’s books for Indi Kindi starting today until the end of March. Indi Kindi is a literacy program of the Nangala Project in Australia, which helps create a brighter future for Aboriginal children. The items I am collecting will be for the children of the remote Aboriginal community of Borroloola, NT. 

I hope to be able to volunteer for at least a week to this community before the end of the year and possibly handcarry dresses with me. I am loving it that I get to be involved in making a difference to the future of these kids as it is a very rare opportunity. 

If you have any supplies to donate, please send them to Dress A Girl Australia P.O. Box 240 Casula Mall Casula NSW 2170. Thank you in advance. Much appreciated!

Feedback from India and Malabon Manila Parcels

Advised by email and message today that the parcels I sent to the Philippines and India has been received yesterday and today respectively.
Message from India received today -

Message from the Philippines received yesterday -

Dresses for Peru - 3 Down 72 to Go

The past couple of months has been so full of intrigues that I seem to have lost my sewing mojo. My goal of sewing 75 dresses which I plan to handcarry to Peru in July was slowly disappearing from my radar. Even though how much I tried to force myself to sit down in front of my sewing machine the past few weeks it failed. Before the distractions, you literally have to pull me away from my sewing table. Finally tonight I sat down and made 3 dresses. These materials were donated by Betty Barrett last year to help me with my one dress a day for 365 days campaign. I received the materials sometime in July and took 7 months for me to action.

I have bundles and bundles of laces in different width sizes given to me by my sister in 2012 so I decided to embellish one of the dresses. When I start to become creative, I can feel that I am starting to come back to a world I fully enjoy. These 3 dresses are for the children of Peru.

Thank you so much to Betty Barrett for the materials and making these 3 dresses possible. I finally made it Betty! Thank you.

More soy candles for sale

I am currently working on a project (and will be going on for the next 3 months) that is making me a bit tired when I get home that sometimes all I want to do is just sleep. But I need to make money by selling my handmades in order for Dress A Girl Australia to survive. So if anyone is wondering why I am promoting my soy candles again...this is how Dress A Girl Australia sustains its ability to continue on distributing dresses to different locations around the world. I am not a rich woman but I enjoy making a difference to the lives of the disadvantaged children around the world. I make a difference and I hope inspire other people to make a difference through my selling. 

So happy to announce more new products in my online shop. 
New product number 1 are the soy tealights.

My "Tealight" collection are available in both scented and unscented and in small, large and limited jumbo-sized aluminium cups. All sizes fit in any normal tealight holder. The wicks are all-cotton, with no wires or zinc. To checkout this new product, please click here.

New product number 2 are the mini melting soy bars.

A great alternative to burning candles! Enjoy the aromatic scent of the melting bars using an electric tart burner.  Burn tarts without the need to add oil and no water at anytime. To checkout this new product, please click here.

New product number 3 are the votives. They will soon be available to purchase in my shop @ $2.00 each. I just need the time to spare to post them.

Every candle that sells, a girl somewhere out there gets to own a new dress. The more candles I sell, the more dresses travel to less fortunate locations. These soy candles helped send two parcels to Kenya 2 weeks ago instead of just one. 

So if you or a family member or a friend is looking for environmentally friendly candles, please spread the word about the soy candles available for sale in my shop. The price of each item already includes postage. You wont be charged postage when you check out. Since I combine postage, any postage in excess of $2.00 will be returned back in the same way that payment was made. Please help spread the word about my soy candles and other handmade items. Thank you.

Dress Distribution #56 - Children of Durban South Africa Parcel 1A

Dress Distribution #56 is a parcel of 24 dresses and undies for the children of Durban South Africa. This parcel will be sent to Nicolette Tilley who will find 24 disadvantaged kiddies in her community who will be delighted to accept and enjoy wearing these dresses. 
Here is the parcel -

and here are the contents of the parcel -

made possible by the following donors -
1) Sharyn Paull
2) Di Menzel
3) Sylvia Lowe (sewn by Dress A Girl Australia)
4) Louise Wright (sewn by Dress A Girl Australia)
5) Siobhan Leyne and Anna Dacre
6) Sandra Lew
7) Linda Smyth (sewn by Dress A Girl Australia)
8) Emily Bieber and friends
9) Mini Bags by Betty Barrett
10) Undies by the Ladies of Kapunda Sewing Group

Donor(s) of two dresses cannot be identified. If any of these dresses happen to be yours, let me know.

To see larger images of the contents of this parcel, please click here.  For more details on this distribution (and also at a later stage when feedback is received) please click here or click on the special 'Dress Distribution' tab which you can find at the top of this page.

Thank you so much to all the donors who made this parcel possible. Thank you for the materials, time, money and effort you all spent in making these dresses being given to the less fortunate children of Durban South Africa . Your kindness and generosity is very much appreciated. Thank you.

If you feel the need to enquire about this distribution, please send an email to dressagirlaustralia@gmail.com. Thank you.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

One of my favourite work of art sharing with everyone on Valentine's Day. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Feedback on Dress Distribution - Morningstar Foundation of Welkom South Africa

It was a long road to get these dresses to JNB South Africa from the time they were sorted and packed to finding the small road that will lead us to the freight terminal past the area's tight security to the processing of documents until I finally saw the boxes being taken away to a place waiting for it to be loaded on the first flight to JNB the following day. It was not an easy effort either to have these parcels released at the JNB International Airport because of the volume or number of parcels. The parcels were opened to make sure that they were dresses and Elizabeth of Morningstar promised the officials to send them pictures of the orphans wearing the dresses once they are released and distributed to prove that they were indeed charity gifts to the children. So you see it is not just a matter of dumping these dresses to the boxes. One has to make sure that what you sign in the documents is what is inside the parcels as described as you will never know what is going to happen at the place of destination.

But the effort was well worth it just by looking at the faces of these kids. As Joan would say these pictures are for my enjoyment which I am actually enjoying looking at the smiling faces but gladly sharing it with everyone especially to the few donors of some of the dresses being worn.

A job well done to all involved. Thank you and thank you to Joan Adams for the pictures. Much appreciated.

Welcome to Dress A Girl Around the World - SI New Zealand

It is now official. South Island New Zealand has a group and has a facebook page to keep everyone abreast of their activities. Here is the link to their facebook page and please 'like' the page. Liking the page will help spread the word about its existence.

The group is in the process of organizing a day in March for a sewing bee. So watch out for it, ladies of South Island New Zealand. It surely will be fun.

Plaque of Appreciation

This was the biggest surprise of the day. A plaque of appreciation from NSW Meals on Wheels which I picked up from the postoffice today. Was not really necessary but thank you from the bottom of my heart just the same.

The letter that came with the plaque read -
"On behalf of Meals on Wheels, we would like to thank you for your in-kind gift of Valentine's Day cards for our clients. The beautiful cards you kindly donated have been distributed to City of Liverpool Meals on Wheels Inc. Your generosity and thoughtfulness will warm the hearts and bring smiles for Meals on Wheels clients. We appreciate your support for our clients and organization. Thank you for your great contribution."

Thank you so much! It was such a pleasure sorting and packing up the cards knowing that a few smiles will brighten the world's day on Valentines day from some special people in this world. Thank you Meals on Wheels!

Dress A Girl Australia's Dress Distributions for the year 2014

This will get updated everytime a new distribution occurs. If you have positive questions, please send an email to dressagirlaustralia@gmail.com. Emails that have negative impact to Dress A Girl Australia will not be replied to. 

February 2014 -

Number of Parcels sent - 6 (as of 10-Feb-2014)

              Total Number of Dresses - 345

              Total Number of T-shirts - 37

              Total Number of Shorts - 78

Total Number of Kilos - 60

1) India - 1

           Dresses - 85

2) Kenya -2

           Dresses - 88

           Shorts - 42

           T-shirts -19

3) Philippines - 3

           Dresses - 172

           T-shirts - 18

           Shorts - 36

January 2014 -

Number of Parcels sent - 9

              Total Number of Dresses - 543

              Total Number of T-shirts - 50

              Total Number of Shorts - 50

Total number of kilos - 75

1) South Africa - 4

           Dresses - 158

           T-shirts - 50

           Shorts - 50

2) Philippines - 4

           Dresses - 318

3) India - 1

           Dresses - 67

Dress Distribution #54 - Children of Malabon Manila (c-o Norie Bordador) Parcel 1C

This is the last parcel of 3 for the children of Malabon Manila which I hope to send as soon as I can as I hardly have a space to walk around in the garage (not good in case of emergency). It is a parcel of big-sized dresses I have accumulated in the last 18 months and finally I found a group who can distribute it on my behalf. These requires teens between the ages of 16 to 19 (including boys) and even perhaps 20 due to the size of the dresses and shorts. It has the less number of dresses and pairs of shorts but the most heavy box I have ever packed I had to sit down and catch my breath after it has been sealed. I think (except for a few)  this will be the last time I will accept these type of dresses as they are difficult to distribute and are quite heavy and bulky too. It is not that I do not appreciate everything that I receive but sometimes I also have to think of whether I am capable of packing or lifting the box when it is packed. Fortunately, this parcel will be picked up so I dont have to worry about lifting.

Here is the parcel of 38 dresses and 18 pairs of shorts -

and here are the contents of the parcel -

made possible by the following donors -
1) Betty Barrett
2) Linda Smyth
3) Ladies of Kapunda Sewing Group
4) Annette Norley
5) Monika Osvald
6) Lyn Crossley

No undies were included in this parcel, all dress donors identified.

To see larger images of the contents of this parcel, please click here. For more details on this distribution (and also at a later stage when feedback is received) please click here or click on the special 'Dress Distribution' tab which you can find at the top of this page.

Thank you to all the donors who made this parcel possible. Thank you for the materials, time, money and effort you all spent in making these dresses being given to the less fortunate children in Malabon Manila . Your kindness and generosity is very much appreciated. Thank you.

I also would like to extend my heartfelt thank you to Norie Bordador for organizing and coordinating all these distributions, making sure that they get to the children in need. Thank you Norie. Your efforts are very much appreciated.

If you feel the need to enquire about this distribution, please feel free to send an email to dressagirlaustralia@gmail.com. Thank you.

Heads up on sizes

To be fair to those who wants to contribute to this campaign and are starting to sew, please take note of the following sizes of dresses and pairs of shorts that will be needed and will most likely be easy to distribute in the next few months.
               Dresses - between the sizes of 5 to 12 
               Pairs of Shorts - between the sizes of 6 to 10 
This should be children's sizes and not adult sizes even for the pairs of shorts. This way I can fit in more dresses and/or pairs of shorts in a mailing box. Make sure that they are of the right length to the size of the dress. You can put in an extra inch or two but please dont make them too long that it would not be possible for the child to wear the dress. 

Please make your dresses as simple as possible so they do not weigh more than the other dresses. I think sometimes you have to consider where the dresses are going. They definitely are not going to children in the city. They are going to hinterlands so we need to think whether dresses that are too dressy or too party looking are going to fit to the environment where they are going to be worn, whether these dresses can survive rough washing conditions. 

Please be guided accordingly. Thank you.

Process of Distributing dresses

Am not sure if everyone knows by now how I distribute dresses but I thought I would share it with everyone. This will be the last time I will write or talk or reply to emails about what I do in Dress A Girl Australia and if anyone still makes a comment then there is nothing I can do. I would leave the decision to anyone whether to contribute or not but I will not be making any further comments or reply to enquiries. They will all be deleted in my mailbox unread.

When I receive dresses donated, I do not immediately packed them up and send. I find a place suitable for the dresses like its sizes. I write to prospective recipients and asked if they can find me a child who would be able to wear the dress especially if it is a new location. I give them sizes of dresses. If they come back and say that yes the sizes are ok that is when I start sorting and then packed them up to send. 

Question : Why do I do this?
Answer : Because I want to make sure that the dresses can be distributed by the group who has volunteered to distribute. I do not want the dresses to end up just dumped on the sides because no one can fit into the dress. I want to make sure that when the dresses arrived someone would claim them from their local postoffice if they had been sent via posts. It is very expensive to send these parcels so I want to make sure that these dresses are attended to when they arrive. 

Question : What happens after the parcels have arrived?
Answer: The group who does the distribution then finds and gathers the children who will fit into any of the dresses based on the information of sizes I sent in advance and schedule a distribution. They schedule a trip if they have to go to a certain location (ie. buy tickets, book hotels etc and all of this at their own expense). The group just do not go to the location and start distributing otherwise it will not be safe for them. Sometimes they have to go with people who can protect them in case it causes a commotion and this happens most especially when they bring in a number of dresses that only a few can be accommodated and it was known in the area that a group was coming to handout dresses. If some of you are thinking that the distribution is easy because all they have to do is handout these dresses you are wrong. From the moment I receive a dress until such time that the dress is worn by a child and sometimes a picture is taken, it is not an easy task. I monitor the progress of each activity. Even if I know that they have been received by the group, I still make a follow-up to make sure that the dresses have been distributed. 

I know that some of you buys fabrics and other accessories to make into dresses to donate but I also know that you are doing this because you find it in your heart to share whatever fortunes you've got to the less fortunate .  I also buy fabrics and accessories to make into dresses which makes us all in the same boat and in addition to this I find ways and means to find owners of these dresses and raise the money to send these dresses that is why sometimes I feel bad when I read comments and emails asking about why their dresses have not been distributed yet. I think if the reason why I am being asked why the dresses have not been sent yet is because you do not trust that the dresses are actually being sent, then it is really up to you whether you want to donate or not. Honestly I do not want people to donate if they cannot show their trust in what I am doing. I prefer small quantity of dresses with genuine intentions compared to large volumes with full of distrust. Thank you.

More Pictures from the CDO Philippines Christmas Bags Distribution (Dec 2013)

I think I have more pictures from the CDO Phils Christmas Bags Distribution Dec 2013. Unfortunately there is no visibility of which dresses are handed out as they are inside the Christmas bags and the bags are not transparent except for a few for the boys but still not very clear. Makes it more difficult for me to reconstruct which dresses, pairs of shorts and t-shirts donated were included in the 7 parcels. 

Just trust me that they have been distributed. I dont think it is an easy task to hand out bags to 200 children by an 80-year-old even with 5 assistants and on a rainy day. I was even surprised that they actually did the distribution on that day. Thanks.

More Feedback from Morningstar South Africa

Sharing an email I received today from Morningstar Foundation of South Africa re dresses - A couple of paragraphs I removed as it was more of how to make the process of sending parcels via unaccompanied baggage can be improved. I think the message I am including here is the one that would interest some of you the most especially for donors whose dresses were included in the parcels.

For a larger and more readable version of this message, please click here. Thank you.

Feedback from Dress Distribution by the RVM sisters - CDO Philippines (More pictures)

Here are more pictures from the dresses, books and school supplies distribution made in the Balulang Elementary School in CDO Philippines, an adopted elementary school by the RVM sisters who run Lourdes College, one of the best and pioneer school of CDO to give these kids a chance to get a decent education to prepare them for their future.
Here are a few of the school boys of Balulang Elementary School of CDO Phils who were the lucky recipients of some books and school supplies -

Some school girls who were the lucky recipients of a few dresses sent to them in December - 

And the students of Lourdes University who went all the way to the remote location of Balulang to share the gifts with the school kids. 

Thank you for all the help. Much appreciated.

To view these images individually or in larger formats, please click here.

On Days for Girls

I have been getting lots of enquiries about this campaign and more lately especially that there are chapters of Dress A Girl Around the world in the US who have established partnerships with Days for Girls that I have decided to do a thorough research and analysis if it is feasible for me to distribute kits together with the dresses. Here is the information that I have gathered.

1. Days for Girls’ distribution is centralized. If anyone wants to volunteer to distribute and/or handcarry kits at your own expense , you need to fill-up a form requesting for kits and provide information including destination and the group you will be serving. The request I believe will be filled by the nearest days for girls chapter or sourced somewhere else if not available in your nearest location but you will have to pay for the cost of transporting the kits from the source to your location.
2. The kit includes other items not just the pads and would cost  $30.00(US) each if you are requesting for a sample and also you will need to pay for the cost of sending the sample kits to your location. 
3. To request for 75 kits - the whole weight of the 75 kits is about 22 kilos (from here you can more or less calculate how each kit weighs).

This campaign is no doubt an excellent idea (environmentally friendly as well so you get to help save the earth) especially that I know that the recipients of the dresses I distribute are more or less the same recipients of these kits - the disadvantaged teens - but only if you are financially stable. Although the kits are free, the cost of transporting the kits is where the problem is especially if you consider the weight. Also, if my understanding is correct, I still have to provide a bar of soap to include in each of the kit before actual distribution. Dress a Girl Australia is a self-funded community work where it relies on market sales, on-line store, a few donations here and there from generous donors who do not require tax receipts, friends and work colleagues. It does not have big-name sponsors as other non-profit organizations have and because I am just a regular person trying to make a difference to make this world a better place in my own small way I have no big-time contacts who could possibly help shoulder the cost of distributing the kits. Come to think of it I dont think I even know (personally) really rich people. Maybe rich in heart but not rich as in financially rich. :-)

Today, I sent an email to their distribution centre requesting for a purchase of 2 sample kits which I wanted to send to a couple of locations/contacts who I believe can possibly do the distribution on my behalf and help spread awareness of the campaign in remote areas. But on my way home on the train I started to make mental calculations. Two sample kits at $30 each plus the cost of a self-addressed express post envelope to make sure I get the parcel, the amount I was intending to pay I was thinking I can actually send 75 dresses to disadvantaged kids in Uganda. It was kind of a sad calculation but at the same time I was trying to be practical. When I got home I decided to send an email cancelling my purchase of sample kits and also decided that unless circumstances change (maybe I get lucky and have some money when I wake up in the morning :-)), I will not be able to establish a partnership to distribute days for girls kits.

In my humble opinion distributing dresses and kits will not be sustainable. I only get a handful of volunteers who are willing to handcarry dresses because these individuals are just like me without sponsors and offering to handcarry is their way of helping make a difference. Not everyone is willing to handcarry because of the cost of excess baggage they have to pay plus the cost of customs duties they sometimes are required to pay at the country of destination. In other countries it is a different story because it is part of their customs and culture to do volunteer work and they travel in groups.

So for those of you who have been enquiring about this, although the flesh is willing, the pocket is weak. For 22 kilos worth of 75 kits for 75 girls, I can actually distribute an equivalent of almost 300 dresses and that is 300 girls getting to own at least one dress. And I know that these 300 girls will have the time of their life wearing a dress they can call their own. It is a sad conclusion but practicality prevails. I will leave the kits for other people to volunteer to distribute.

For those who still wants to make pads, which I would do if I had the time I would recommend you send your finished products to the nearest days for girls location in your area. They will then include or allocate them in the kits they make and distribute them on your behalf. Thank you.

To check where your nearest Days for Girls location, please click here.

Feedback from NSW Meals on Wheels

Sharing with you an email I received today from Sanuja of NSW Meals on Wheels regarding the Valentine Cards I sent them to give to their clients on Valentines Day.

For a larger and more readable version of this letter, please click here.

Thank you to Elaine Klein, Sarah Tanmahapran, Carolyn Walker and Two flew over the cuckoo's nest for their wonderful and generous contributions.

And thank you so much to NSW Meals on Wheels for giving me the opportunity to brighten their clients' day on Valentines Day. It was a pleasure packing up and sending those cards knowing that it will bring great smiles especially to those who are isolated. 

More Cards for Valentines Day (NSW Meals on Wheels)

An additional 100 cards were sent to NSW Meals on Wheels through the kindness and generosity of Two Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest.

That is another 100 beaming happy faces this coming Valentines Day. What a great day it would be I hope for those who will be lucky enough to receive one of these cards.

Thank you Two Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Dress Distribution #51 - Children of Miwani Kenya (c/o Pastor Joshua Atieno) Parcel 1B

This is Parcel #2 of 2 parcels for Miwani Kenya c/o Pastor Joshua Atieno of Widows of Africa. This time it is a parcel of 41 pairs of shorts, 8 boys t-shirts, 3 girls' t-shirts, 2 pairs of tops/pair of shorts and 26 dresses. Hope they get to Kenya in time for Easter.
Here is the parcel -

and here are the contents of the parcel -

made possible by the following donors -
1) Betty Barrett/Betty Paull
2) Sharyn Paull
3) Sandra Turnbull
4) Ladies of Kapunda Sewing Group with a sponsorship by Bonnie and girls t-shirts
5) Loris Pullen
6) Virginia Schrapelli
7) Monika Osvald
8) Di Menzel
9) Sash Hinton (sewn by Dress A Girl Australia)
10) Louise Wright (sewn by Dress A Girl Australia)
11) Sylvia Lowe (sewn by Dress A Girl Australia)
12) Linda Smyth (sewn by Dress A Girl Australia)
13) heyboom for the laces
14) T-shirts by Dress A Girl Australia
15) Dress A Girl Australia

No undies included and donor of one pair of girl's top/pair of shorts cannot be identified.
If this pair happen to be yours, let me know.

To see larger images of the contents of this parcel, please click here.  For more details on this distribution (and also at a later stage when feedback is received) please click here or click on the special 'Dress Distribution' tab which you can find at the top of this page.

Thank you so much to all the donors who made this parcel possible. Thank you for the materials, time, money and effort you all spent in making these dresses being given to the less fortunate children of Miwani Kenya . Your kindness and generosity is very much appreciated. Thank you.

If you feel the need to enquire about this distribution, please feel free to send an email to dressagirlaustralia@gmail.com. Thank you.

Feedback from Thailand (Baan Jai Dee)

Received this message today about the parcel of dresses I sent to Baan Jai Dee Thailand in early January this year.

For a larger and more readable version of this image, please click here. For the article on dress distribution, please click here. 

Thank you Sandie.

Check this out

Check out what I received from work today. My community champion pin.

Also, to those who were following the challenge I joined 4 weeks ago, yesterday was the last day of the Habit Factor challenge and today was the final submission of the habit tracking chart. Now I need to write my 500-word essay on my experience regarding the challenge to complete the requirement. The most challenging of all the habits I chose to track was the 10,000 steps a day as not everyday was a good day for walking. The challenge might be over but my tracking goes on.

Donors of 12 pairs of shorts identified

Finally identified the donors of the 12 pairs of shorts I have included in the Malabon Manila parcel 1A/Distribution #54. Six of the pairs were donated by Annette Norley and the other six pairs by Frances Cornish. Thanks Ladies!

Dress Distribution #54 - Children of Malabon Manila (c-o Norie Bordador) Parcel 1B

This is parcel #2 of 3 parcels allocated to the children of Malabon, Manila to be sent to Norie Bordador at the end of February. It is a parcel of 85 dresses of various sizes between 1 to 14 to be distributed with the assistance of Sr Ma Rosalina Luzon, the MCJ Coordinator and to be done at the Sto Nino Chapel and Mission Center in Malabon City. 
Here is the parcel -

and here are the contents of the parcel all 85 of them -

made possible by the following donors -
1) Golden girls Kay, Pauline, Betty & Julie
2) Hiroko Price
3) Womens Shed, Tamworth Regional Craft Centre 
4) Sandra Turnbull
5) Ladies of Kapunda Sewing group
6) Two Bettys Betty Barrett and Betty Paull
7) Toni Kirkpatrick
8) Meredith Cain (sewn by Dress A Girl Australia)
9) Linda Smyth (sewn by Dress A Girl Australia)
10) Sash Hinton (sewn by Dress A Girl Australia)
11) Monika Osvald (sewn by Dress A Girl Australia)
12) Di Menzel
13) Flor dela Cruz (sewn by Dress A Girl Australia)
14) Louise Wright (sewn by Dress A Girl Australia)
15) Sylvia Lowe (sewn by Dress A Girl Australia)
16) Sarah Tanmahapran
17) Keren Jacobs
18) Jolly Sun (my mum) (sewn by Dress A Girl Australia)
19) Dress A Girl Australia

No undies were included in this parcel, all dress donors identified.

To see larger images of the contents of this parcel, please click here. For more details on this distribution (and also at a later stage when feedback is received) please click here or click on the special 'Dress Distribution' tab which you can find at the top of this page.

Thank you so much to all the donors who made this parcel possible. Thank you for the materials, time, money and effort you all spent in making these dresses being given to the less fortunate children in Malabon Manila . Your kindness and generosity is very much appreciated. Thank you.

I also would like to extend my heartfelt thank you to Norie Bordador for organizing and coordinating all these distributions, making sure that they get to the children in need. Thank you Norie. Your efforts are very much appreciated.

If you feel the need to enquire about this distribution, please feel free to send an email to dressagirlaustralia@gmail.com. Thank you.