Only Dresses for Hope Project - Burma

Just a reminder to everyone that the dresses I will be accepting as donations between now and September are dresses for the Hope Project - Burma. Am requesting that no other dresses be sent at this time unless they are for the Hope Project - Burma.

Thank you.

Capped/Sleeved Dresses needed by Sept 15

Barbara Dodson who is a campaigner of Dress A Girl (Around the World) Australia has managed to connect “Dress a girl around the world” with the Hope Project run by Croydon Hills Baptist Church who looks after Karen refugees locally which then led them to help  look after refugees on the Thai-Burma border and also Internally Displaced People in Burma. IDP's are groups of people isolated by military within their own country borders and miss out on most of the help offered to recognised refugee camps. 

Barbara has graciously volunteered to   co-ordinate the supplying of dresses for girls and shorts for boys within this area. At this time we are not sure how many but it could be in the hundreds. There will be someone going to Burma in early October who can take the first delivery, and then a group shall be going in December, to take the second and larger delivery. She is really quite excited about this project, and would love to share it with like minded friends. And this is where we all come in ladies especially to those who would like to sew dresses for this very worthy cause. We barely have about 8 weeks to go before the first delivery is due. The items need to be sent to Croydon by mid-September or at least before the end of September month.

I have committed to sending at least 100 capped dresses for the first delivery. This will be in addition to the dresses that will be made by Barbara and her group from sewing bees. Capped dresses because this is Burma where culture requires that shoulders should be covered and also dresses already with sleeves will eliminate the need to provide t-shirts to wear underneath. Since we do not know who the recipients will be the dresses should be in different sizes perhaps between 6 to 18.

If there is anyone out there who is willing to sew and donate, it will be very much appreciated. Please use cotton materials to make the dresses last longer. No flimsy or thin materials please. This dress could be the only decent dress some of them would get to wear. Anyone is also encouraged to donate pairs of shorts or t-shirts. Dress and shorts patterns for those who want to sew are readily available in pdf formats upon request. Fabric donations are also very much welcome as sewers have been organized to help in making this project a success.

At this time unless departure date will change, all dresses should be posted to Dress A Girl Australia postal address on or before Sep 15 so I will have more time to sort and packed. I have made this project an exception from my previous request that no parcels should be sent at this time. Priority will be given to these parcel donations.

Please indicate your willingness to make a difference to the lives of the Karen refugees by sending me a message or an email to dressagirlaustralia@gmail.com letting me know what you are donating and quantity if possible so I will have an idea as to where we stand in my commitment. Rest be assured that I will not be just sitting down waiting for parcels to arrive. In fact, I have started gathering fabrics today and will start sewing when my market day is finished in less than 2 weeks. Thank you so much in advance for your support and help on this project. For any questions or more information, as usual please send a message or an email to dressagirlaustralia@gmail.com.

For more information on the Karen Support services, please click here. For more information on the Hope Project, please click here.

Goal for India

The outlook is very bright for India. I only need 51 dresses more and by the time I have sent all the remaining 4 parcels for Christmas I would have met my 2014 target of 500 dresses to India orphanages. And I thought the task was/is not possible considering the cost of sending those dresses.

The latest feedback I received based on questions I asked of one orphanage so far - (I like and enjoy making followups of my efforts) -

(1) how the dresses are with the children? Yes, Dresses are so beautiful and Wonderful and many Girls asking the Dresses at villages and slums. 
(2) Are they liking and enjoying wearing the dresses? Yes, Very liking and very enjoying by wearing everyday and feeling good and handsome. But the problem is Girls who received one dress and they are asking one more dress.

I hope I get to receive at least a picture or 2 in the next few weeks....but well done!!

Dress Donations

Dates will be published in the next few weeks when Dress A Girl Australia will start accepting new dress donations.

Sharing conversation with a friend I made in Peru

I met this lady in Peru who came to meet me at the hotel we were staying at to receive the dresses I brought along with me to share with the children of Peru. I thought I would share with anyone who would be interested to know our conversation which I sent via facebook message when I arrived here in Sydney as due to time constraints I did not have the chance to get in touch with her again. She will always have a special spot in my heart for without her the opportunity to provide dresses to a few children in Peru would not have been possible and to those who donated some of the dresses I hope you would find it in your hearts to say a silent thank you to her for giving you the opportunity to share the dresses you made in such a very far away country.

Thank you so much Julia and I hope I would be able to provide more dresses for you in the future. Thank you.

Feedback from Parcels sent to Morningstar Foundation, South Africa

Here is an email I received last July 17 from Joan Adams of Morningstar Foundation regarding the Winter Collection boxes I sent for the children of the Morningstar Orphanage -

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

Back in Sydney but Dress A Girl Australia Activities still not operational

Good Morning everyone. Although I am back in Sydney, my priority at the moment is my full recovery, get up to date to all the personal and family matters that have been left behind and needs to be attended to. Dress A Girl Australia will be at the end of the list especially that this is just a volunteer work. There will still be no parcel pickups until I am ready to do so SO would like to request that no parcels be sent. There is no need to hurry as the distributions will not happen until late in the year. Dates of distributions will be released in the next few weeks. There are still lots of things to be done before distributions can occur. Emails will be responded to in due time and only nice and respectful emails. Remember I survived the Inca Trail Hike. Thank you for your understanding.

Next schedule of dress distributions will be at the end of the year. Exact dates to be posted in early October. No parcel pickups between Jul 1 - Aug 8.

No metallic or breakable items will be accepted

Just a reminder to those who donate dresses not to include anything that is metallic as security screening is very rigid and strict again these days. If you want to include a headband make sure that they are made of fabric and not metal. Any kind of metallic items or breakable items like plastic headbands that I receive will not be included in any of the distributions. 

Please be guided with this latest information. Thank you.

Dress Distribution #71 - Dresses and Shorts for the children of Peru

This is the distribution which I am so ecstatic about. 42 dresses and 10 pairs of shorts for the children of Peru which I will be handcarrying and handing over to the group on Wednesday that Taylor Benson of the Pottershand foundation works and partners with in Peru. He and the group are scheduled to go to the Amazon jungle to visit their feeding programs with the children of the Ashaninka people out there and will be happy to include in their distribution the dresses I will be giving to them. As of this writing I only have packed 42 dresses and 10 pairs of shorts but depending on what the final weight of my check-in luggage would be by tomorrow as I am limited to about 30 kilos, I may add more. So here are the dresses and boys shorts I am taking with me to Peru -

made possible by the following donors -
1) Two Bettys Betty Barrett and Betty Paull
2) Bett Holmes
3) Sharyn Paull
4) Monika Osvald
5) Vanya Bryant
6) Jo Holt
7) Dress A Girl Australia

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. Your kindness and generosity is very much appreciated. And a wholehearted thank you to Taylor Benson and his group/partners for giving me the opportunity to share dresses with the children of Peru specifically in the Amazon jungle. Thank you for giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity to make a difference to the lives of the disadvantaged children in Peru. Thank you so much.

No Parcel picks in July until the 8th of August, 2014

I am still getting emails letting me know that they will be posting dresses next week. Please do not send any parcels starting Monday, 30th of June. Your last day of posting should be this Friday, 27th. I will not be responsible for any parcels that will be posted between June 30-August 4 nor will I take on the tasks of enquiring the status/whereabouts of parcels posted between these dates. Please be guided by this information. Thank you.

Donation Acknowledgement FY14/#88 - From Judy and the Inspired Peel Sewers

First acknowledgement for the month of July is Donation #88 from the Inspired Peel Sewers. This group was organized and coordinated by Judy Scott. It is a parcel of 17 dresses and 14 pairs of boys shorts -

To the members of the Inspired Peel Sewers, thank you for your kindness and generosity and to Judy, the Neighbourhood Group Coordinator for organizing this activity. Thank you so much.

Donation Acknowledgement FY14/#87 - From Lorraine and group

A parcel of 68 dresses and donation #87  is from a group of ladies from Inverell organized by Lorraine Brown. They belong to a craft group which is a haven for women and they do lots of projects such as sewing and knitting to make a difference. Here are the dresses that they sent -

and here are the members of the group.

This picture and their work was featured and published in the Inverell Times dated the 28th of February. A very interesting article on what they do and why they do it. Click on the link below to read the full article -

Crafts group a haven for women

To Lorraine and the rest of the members of the group (Ann O'Brien, Tanya Townsend, Tess Wardle and Di Tome),thank you so much for making Dress A Girl (Around the World) your project for the month. I hope the ladies who read your article will be inspired to do the same...making a difference. Thank you for your kindness and generosity. It is much appreciated.

School Supplies #4 - From Maureen, Pat and Gaylene

This is the fourth donation acknowledgement of school supplies I am collecting for a campaign I just thought of a new name tonight - Education without borders. The school supplies and the fabric bags for the school starter kits came from Maureen O'Brien, Pat Burton and Gaylene Herrmann. A collection of 41 school starter bags, 6 exercise books and packs of pens, pencils and crayons

Thank you so much Ladies for your kindness and generosity. Your unwavering support not only with dresses  but with school supplies as well is very much appreciated. Thank you.

Donation Acknowledgement FY14/#84 to #86 - From the two Bettys, Maureen and Lyn

Three more parcels for the month of June came from the two Bettys - Betty Barrett and Betty Paull, Lyn Granger and Maureen O'Brien. A mix donations of dresses, pairs of shorts, bags for school starter kits and school supplies. The bags and school supplies will be acknowledged separately.

1) Donation #84 is from the two Bettys - Betty Barrett and Betty Paull, It is a parcel of 11 dresses and 6 pairs of boys shorts - 

2) Donation #85 is from Maureen O'Brien - 6 boys t-shirts which is going to help me build up another  collection of t-shirts for boys - 

3) And donation #86 is from Lynette Granger - a parcel of 12 dresses, a baby set of clothes, 9 pairs of shorts, a girls' blouse which I paired with one of the shorts I received and a small fabric shoulder bag. One lucky girl is going to get a new set of clothes with a small shoulder bag with this parcel -

Again, my wholehearted thank you Ladies for the dress donations, t-shirts and shorts. Your kindness and generosity is very much appreciated. Thank you.

Donation Acknowledgement FY14/#81 to #83 - From Pat, Gaylene, Vanya & Friends

I have six more parcels to acknowledge before I closed off the month of June donations. First 3 parcels are from Pat Burton, Gaylene Herrmann and Vanya Bryant and her friends June and Val.

1) Parcel 1 and Donation #81 are 4 dresses from Pat Burton. Included in the parcel are 6 school bags which will be acknowledged separately -

2) Parcel 2 and Donation #82 are 11 dresses, hair ties and 4 soft cuties from Vanya Bryant and her friends June and Val when they had their sewing day and had great fun making the dresses.

3) Parcel #3 and Donation #83 are 9 dresses and 25 school bags from Gaylene Herrmann. The bags will be acknowledged separately.

Thank you so much Ladies for your dress donations and other accessories. Thank you all for your kindness and generosity. You make this world a better place for everyone especially for the disadvantaged kiddies around the world. Thank you.

Fundraising through Wines

After days of brainstorming(with myself) I am launching a fundraising campaign that will greatly help in the cost of sending parcels to different locations around the world especially at Christmas time. Unfortunately my handmade selling is suffering, cannot cope with the demands as most of my time is spent on organizing, making followups, taking parcels to the postoffice to send, finding ways to raise money to pay for postage, making sure customs requirements are met to save money on duties etc I spend less and less time making things to sell.

So starting today, 1st of July, I will be selling wines or fundraising through wines. I have made special arrangements with a supplier who will deliver the wines directly to you for a low postage fee. I have passed on higher discounts to attract more buyers. More details will be posted in the next few days and the order form. Only bank deposit or paypal payments will be accepted. If you are not into wines, your help to spread the word will be highly appreciated. If you think I dont have to raise funds to help, then you dont have to do anything. But for others your help in spreading the word will be greatly appreciated. All money earned from the selling will go directly to the postage fund of Dress A Girl Australia. Thank you.

Dress #4 for the year 2014

Either I am being slacked or just too busy but today I finally got the chance to sit down and sew a dress after 4 months, 3 days and 7.5 hours and dress #4 for the year. 

I was able to trace where the fabric came from and this was donated by Linda Smyth. I hope to make more dresses for the rest of the year 2014. Am aiming for 50 t-shirt dresses for India using the t-shirts given to me by my sister Joan Wolf. I think I have about 75 in stock which are meant to be made into t-shirt dresses. If I am able to sew the 50 this will be my sister and my contribution to Dress A Girl Australia for the year 2014.

Parcel Feedback from Childhope Asia (For streetkids of MetroManila)

Received an email confirmation this morning that the parcels I sent to Childhope Asia Phils for the streetkids of Metro Manila has been received.

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

Thank you to Mylene Lagman for acknowledging parcels on behalf of Childhope Asia. Much appreciated.

Donation Acknowledgement FY14/#80 - Handmade t-shirts from Monika

Number 80 on my list of donations is from Monika Osvald who did an awesome and fantastic job sewing 31 t-shirts .Also in the parcel were 3 dresses, head scarves, small totes, hankies, soft toys and stickers as shown on the image below -. 

To Monika, thank you so much for the t-shirts. I wished I knew how to sew one. Your effort is so much appreciated. And thanks for the dresses and accessories as well. 

Picture feedback from Eastern Samar Philippines Dress Distribution

This is a picture I received this morning from Eastern Samar Philippines where they are starting to distribute dresses. Apparently the 2 girls on the right are set of twins. :-)

To view larger images of this distribution, please click here. More pictures will be posted when they are available.

Thank you to all the donors who made 'happiness' the theme of the day for these kiddies and to Marge de la Cruz, Viola C Siozon and Brenda Gajelan-Samson for making the distribution possible. Much appreciated.

Quilt Distribution #8 - For Romania Parcels 3C & 3D (Christmas Edition)

A total of 24 quilts in 2 parcels is Quilt Distribution #8 for the kiddies of Romania. These parcels will be sent to Fundatia Romanian Relief once I get a confirmation of the 2 parcels sent in May has been received. By this time it should be half-way to Romania.

Here are the two parcels 3C & 3D -

and here are the contents of the two parcels in 2 blocks - Parcel 3C of 13 quilts -

and Parcel 3D of 11 quilts -

made possible by the following donors -

1) Sue-Ellen Cox
2) Craft and Hope Group S.A.
3) Sandra Turnbull
4) Gaynor Botcher
5) Margaret Doccke
6) Tannis Brennan
7) Vera Jeffs
8) Shirley Bell
9) Lorraine Sandow

To see larger images of the quilts, please click here or click on the special tab "Dress Distribution" located at top of this page.

Thank you all so much for making these parcels possible. Thank you for your support of Dress A Girl Australia's initiative to keep a few children of Romania warm and make them feel comfort and joy during their winter this year and the years to come. Thank you. It is very much appreciated.

Dress Distribution #70 - For Fiji c-o Dress A Girl SI New Zealand

This is a unique distribution or rather a contribution that I would like to make to Dress A Girl South Island New Zealand c-o Karen Wilson. These dresses - 13 of them and mostly large sizes - will be handed over to a mission group by Karen who are going to Fiji at the end of July to visit a safe house where women who are victims of sexual abuse go for safety and protection after having had to flee from their homes and/or villages. They have no dresses so I hope these 13 dresses will be good enough for those who need it. Some of these dresses I have had for a while as they are too big to send to some of the locations I have been sending dresses to. Finally I think this time I have the chance to find owners. I have also added 5 t-shirts for the women to wear underneath the 5 pillowcase styles. So here is the parcel that will be posted to Karen this week -

and here are the contents of the parcel -

made possible by the following donors -
1) Julie Bolton
2) Monika Osvald
3) Two Bettys - Betty Barrett and Betty Paull
4) Karen Neilsen
5) Sharyn Cafee
6) Dress A Girl Australia

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 although for this particular distribution there wont be any feedback images).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. We should all be proud, give ourselves a pat on the back for being able to provide dresses not only to disadvantaged kiddies around the world but also to women who needs help whenever the need arises. Thank you for helping make a difference to the lives of anyone in this world especially for the disadvantaged people and more for the disadvantaged women and children. Your kindness and generosity is very much appreciated. Thank you.

Dress Distribution #67 - For the children of India c-o Garden of Life Parcel 3B (Christmas Edition)

Unfortunately the only way for me to know how much is needed to be able to send all Christmas parcels is to pack them up so it can be weighed and based on the weight I would be able to have an idea as to what the total cost would be. The next two parcels are the Christmas edition parcels for India.

Dress Distribution #67 Parcel 3B is for 32 dresses and 23 pairs of boys shorts for the children of Garden of Life India c-o Pragna. This will be posted in November to arrive in India in early December in time for Christmas distribution. Here is the parcel -

and here are the contents of the parcel -

made possible by the following donors -
1) Monika Osvald
2) Karen Neilsen
3) Lyn Granger
4) Sharyn Paull
5) Wendy Yates
6) Two Bettys - Betty Barrett and Betty Paull
7) Emily Bieber and friends
8) Elaine Klein
9) Sharyn Cafee
10) Vanya Bryant
11) Craft and Hope and Kapunda Sewing Group Kapunda S.A.
12) Virginia Smith
13) Dress A Girl Australia

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. Your kindness and generosity is very much appreciated. Thank you.

Dress Distribution #55 - Children of India c/o Mercy&Grace Charity Parcel 3C (Christmas Edition)

The second Christmas edition parcel going to India in November is Dress Distribution #55 Parcel 3C for 49 dresses and 14 pairs of boys shorts for the children of the Mercy & Grace Charitable Trust in Andhra Pradesh State of India c-o Nirmala Kumari, the Managing Trustee of the foundation. This will be posted in November to arrive in India in early December in time for Christmas distribution. Here is the parcel -

and here are the contents of the parcel -

made possible by the following donors -
1) Virginia Smith
2) Craft and Hope and Kapunda Sewing Group S.A.
3) Two Margarets - Margaret Blanch and Margaret Leech
4) Two Bettys - Betty Barrett and Betty Paull
5) Wendy Yates
6) Lyn Granger
7) Julie Bolton
8) Annette Norley
9) Frances Cornish
10) Vanya Bryant
11) Jo Wolf
12) Dress A Girl Australia

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. Your kindness and generosity is very much appreciated. Thank you.

Dress Distribution #58 - Children of Miwani Kenya (c-o Pastor Joshua Atieno) Parcel 2B (Christmas Edition)

If you see a lot of articles on dress distributions being posted this week these are just advance packing and will not be sent until later in the year. These are parcels meant for Christmas distributions and am doing the tasks now for some of the parcels while am not too busy this time as I am pretty sure when I get back end of July my schedule will be very tight and I may not have the time to do all of this. So while am just staying home to avoid the cold weather although I think it is colder inside than outside, here is one of those Christmas edition parcels -

Dress Distribution #58 is the second parcel queued for the children of Miwani Kenya Christmas Edition. This will be sent to Pastor Joshua Atieno of Widows of Africa sometime in early September which will hopefully reach Kenya in early December and be distributed to the kids in time for Christmas. 
Here is the parcel of 44 dresses and 26 pairs of boys shorts -

and here are the contents of the Christmas parcel -

made possible by the following donors -
1) Susanne Nixon and the members of All Saints' Parish South Hobart 
2) Margie McDonald
3) Sharyn Cafee
4) Karen Neilsen
5) Elaine Dunemann
6) Golden Girls 2 (Kay, Pauline, Betty & Julie)
7) Vanya Bryant
8) Catherine Jenkins
9) Virginia Smith

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. Your kindness and generosity is very much appreciated. Thank you.

Feedback on Parcels sent to Tacloban/Eastern Samar Phils

I just received this message about an hour ago letting me know that the parcels I have sent to Tacloban and Eastern Samar Philippines has been received. Marge de la Cruz of the Guiuan Development Foundation, Inc. said it is very timely because Tacloban  will be celebrating their 'fiesta' on the 30th of June almost seven months after the area was heavily hit by Typhoon Haiyan

'Fiesta' is a spanish word for a festive celebration or holiday which could be of a religious nature and usually they hold carnivals, dances and lots of food for everyone. A perfect time for the kids to wear and show off their new dresses.

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

Thank you Marge for finding the time to send me this message. Much appreciated.

Dress Distribution #61 - Children of Mbale Uganda Parcel 2B (Christmas Edition)

This is the second parcel of two for the children of Mbale Uganda. The first parcel was sent in mid-May and is probably half-way to Uganda by now. This package of 53 dresses, 2 sunhats and 14 pairs of boys shorts will be sent in early September hopefully to arrive in early December in time for Christmas to Anne Wandendaya of the Bushikori Christian Centre. I also hope that I would be able to send another parcel with this so more girls will have new dresses for Christmas. This would all depend on the status of my Dress A Girl Australia purse in September.
Here is the parcel -

and here are the contents of the parcel -

made possible by the following donors- 
1) Margie McDonald
2) Sharyn Cafee
3) Pam of Threading my Way
4) Karen Neilsen
5) Elaine Dunemann
6) Golden Girls 2 (Kay, Pauline, Betty & Julie)
7) Virginia Smith
8) Sharyn Paull
9) Two Bettys Betty Barrett and Betty Paull
10) Vanya Bryant
11) Catherine Jenkins

For larger images of the items, 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.

A wholehearted thank you to all the donors who made this parcel possible. Thank you all for your kindness and generosity. It is very much appreciated. Thanks!

Donation Acknowledgement FY14/#77 to #79 - From Sharyn, Karen and Vanya

I started with 1 acknowledgement, then 2 and now from 3 donors and these are donations number 77 to 79.

1) Donation #77 is a parcel of 9 dresses, 5 t-shirts/shorts for boys set and a dozen undies from Sharyn Cafee -

2) Donation #78 is a parcel of 20 pairs of shorts from Vanya Bryant -

3) and the last donation received which is Number 79  is from Karen Neilsen. It is a parcel of 20 dresses. Karen is loving this project so much that she is planning to make more. Another addition to our sewing ladies, here is Karen with the 20 dresses she made -

A wholehearted thank you to Karen, Vanya and Sharyn. Thank you for your kindness and generosity. Thank you for helping make this world a better place...with one small dress at a time. It is much appreciated.

Donation Acknowledgement FY14/#75 & 76 - From Margie and Pam

Two acknowledgements this time. Number 75 is from Margie McDonald which is a parcel of  13 dresses and 1 boys' shorts.

The second acknowledgement is number 76 on the list from Pam of Threading My Way. Here is the dress -

and again, 5 small bags for my school starter kits and some exercise books and notepads -

Ladies, thank you so much for these wonderful donations. Thank you for your kindness and generosity. It is so much appreciated. Thank you.

Donation Acknowledgement FY14/#74 - From the Golden Girls 2 (Kaye, Julie, Pauline & Betty)

Number 74 on the list is a parcel of 21 dresses of various sizes, 3 boys' t-shirts and shorts set (from Kay Innes), soft toys, undies and hair accessories for the kids which are inside the dress pockets from the Golden Girls with gold hearts namely Kaye, Julie, Pauline and Betty. Here are the dresses, t-shirts and shorts for the boys -

and here are the soft toys which will make great Christmas presents -

Thank you Golden Girls for your kindness and generosity. Thank you for supporting this campaign. It is very much appreciated. Thank you.

Donation Acknowledgement FY14/#73 - From 88-year old Elaine

Happy to restart donation acknowledgement once again for the month of June and the first acknowledgement and number 73 on the list is from 88-year old Elaine Dunemann who is very pleased to be contributing to Dress A Girl Australia. The parcel was sent in by Kay Innes and had 20 dresses and 2 bags -

To Elaine, thank you so much for the dresses and the bags. With what you have accomplished I hope you will get to inspire a lot of women to make a difference the same way you are making a difference to the lives of 20 disadvantaged girls around the world. Thank you for your kindness and generosity. It is much appreciated.

Dress Distribution #56 - Children of Durban South Africa Summer Edition Parcel 1C

Too cold tonight to just sit down and do nothing while waiting for football games to start so I decided to do an advance packing for the children of Durban South Africa Summer Edition. Also with advance packing I am able to forecast and note down how much I would need to be able to send them. This is the third parcel for the year for the kiddies in Durban which will be posted hopefully in early September to arrive in early December in time for Christmas for 47 girls and 11 boys. Here is the parcel -

and here are the contents of the parcel -

made possible by the following donors -
1) Vanya Bryant
2) Sarah Macraild
3) Sharron Arnold
4) Sarah Tanmahapran
5) Monika Osvald
6) Maureen O'Brien
7) Suzanne Nixon and the Members of All Saints' Parish South Hobart 
8) Di Menzel
9) Craft and Hope and the Kapunda Sewing Group S.A.

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. Your kindness and generosity is very much appreciated. Thank you.

Dress Distribution #69 - For the teens and kids of the BFO Orphanage, Papua New Guinea Parcels 1A and 1B

After clearing my garage of boxes I finally found these clothing items that I have been saving up for Papua New Guinea since late last year and it is time for each of these dresses and shorts to find owners in the BFO Orphanage. A big relief that I found them. I knew these were just in one of the boxes that were piling up but could not guess which one as there was no label and the box used was different. 

So after repacking today, Dress Distribution #69 is a 2-parcel distribution of 34 dresses which includes 10 girls t-shirts to be worn with the 10 dresses without sleeves, 10 pairs of khaki boys shorts and 17 fleece pants especially made for those kids who sleep on the floor. Here are the parcels -

and here are the contents of the 2 parcels -

made possible by the following donors -

1) Frances Cornish
2) Monika Osvald
3) Two Bettys - Betty Barrett and Betty Paull
4) Craft and Hope/Ladies of Kapunda Sewing Group S.A.
5) Maureen O'Brien
6) Annette Norley
7) Dress A Girl Australia

To see larger images of the contents of this parcel, please click here for Parcel 1B and here for Parcel 1A.  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. Your kindness and generosity is very much appreciated. Thank you.

No parcel pickups in the month of July

Heads-up to everyone who are intending to donate dresses and others and posting them soon - I will be away most of the month of July and there will be no parcel pickups from the postoffice. Please do not post parcels after the 30th of June so as not to clogged the Casula postoffice with Dress A GIrl Australia parcels. They have a very small space at the back. You may post parcels again starting 1st of August. By the time they get delivered to P.O.Box 240 I should be back for parcel pickups. Thank you.

Stats as of today - 18th of June 2014

After posting 3 more parcels (2 last Monday and 1 today) as of today for the year 2014 - 1492 dresses, 325 pairs of boys shorts, 153 t-shirts and 67 quilts have been distributed around the world. Thanks everyone and a special thank you to those who contributed (you know who you are) and helped a lot in making these distributions more possible ! Much appreciated.

Email of gratitude from BFO Orphanage Papua New Guinea

Am sharing with everyone who is reading my blog of this email of gratitude I received today from Aunty Rosa of the BFO Orphanage in Mt Hagen Papua New Guinea -

Thank you Aunty Rosa for giving us the opportunity to make a difference to the kids under your care and thanks to everyone who made this support possible to the kids of the BFO Orphanage, thank you for your kindness and generosity. Much appreciated.

Simple things to remember

As more and more are sewing dresses to support this campaign now I understand why I have to post reminders every now and then. These days I spend so much time sorting, packing and raising money to be able to send  dresses to different locations around the world I no longer can find the time to sew so dresses donated to this cause are always accepted and received with heartfelt gratitude. I started this cause not knowing that I would be getting a lot of support and donors from the community especially that I am just an average person working full-time to earn a living(an unknown but always find ways to enjoy life) trying to make a difference. I do not know any big names or big organizations to support my character, reputation and my work and this is the reason why I feel more determined to make it right and be more successful. I want to be able to sing happily or listen to music while doing the tasks of sorting and packing and not getting cranky because I see another dress that does not seem right. 

So here are some simple things to bear in mind especially for those who are thinking of joining this campaign. These are simple things that will save all of us a lot of time, money and effort (whether you are a dress donor or a distribution volunteer) and makes a big impact on the quality of this cause I have started thus making it more successful and thereby avoiding inconveniences.

If anyone thinks these rules or tips are too much to follow or I do not have the right to put these in place, then it is up to you to decide whether you want to join or support this campaign. At the end of the day (and after sorting and packing 1,400+ dresses the past 4 weeks), these rules prevail. If the aim is to help make a difference, then let us do it right.

1) If you are sewing dresses to donate, please make sure that you are using the right kind of fabric material. Fabric materials should not be the thin or flimsy type, must be able to withstand washing in rugged environments. Cotton fabrics are highly recommended.

2) Avoid using fabrics that require linings. If the material requires a lining that means it is not strong enough to withstand washing in rugged environments. Also dresses with linings are double the weight of dresses without lining. Instead of sending 2 dresses I can only send 1. Please be more understanding of the weight of the dresses that you donate.

3) If you are using ribbons, please use the grained type of ribbon and make sure it is long enough to tie. The same goes with bias tapes if you are using this for pillowcase style of dresses. Please be generous with the length to make the dress wearable.

4) If you are using ribbons, make sure that you run a few stitches at the point where they need to end in the neckline area (near the armpit) to make sure that they do not get detached from the dress. The dress will not become wearable without the ribbons.

5) No second-hand or used clothing. There are some locations that are very strict in letting in second-hand or used items. Please do not waste your time and money for postage in sending used clothing. Used clothings will not be included in any of the distributions. This rule is also in fairness to all the ladies who find the time to sew.

6) No repairs will be made to dresses donated that I think do not meet the standard. They will not be included in any of the distributions. We want to see the dress worn by the child for as long as it can be worn and not just a one-day wear. Remember, for some, this could be the only dress that they get to wear and call their own for a long period of time.

 *** Please always provide your email address (write it on a piece of paper and include in your parcel) so if there is a problem with any of the dresses you sent I can get in touch with you. ***

7) At this time and until further advised I am not accepting donations that are wearable only for the cold and/or winter seasons. I have no space in my house nor in my garage (which is full)  to keep these donations for next year’s distributions. 

Thank you and thank you for your understanding.

Dress Distribution #58 - Children of Miwani Kenya (c-o Pastor Joshua Atieno) Parcel 2A

First parcel of two with 44 dresses and 36 pairs of boys shorts for the children of Miwani Kenya is Dress Distribution #58. Currently in queue #4 and when am ready, this parcel will be sent to Pastor Joshua Atieno of the Widows of Africa Kenya . Here is the parcel -

and here are the contents of the parcel -

made possible by the following donors -
1) Monika Osvald
2) Sharron Arnold
3) Lyn Granger
4) Karina Tomlinson
5) Terri Ross and Marie Dale
6) Vanya Bryant
7) Heather Harris
8) Elaine Klein

 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. Your kindness and generosity is very much appreciated. Thank you.

Do all dresses require a lining?

Here is another observation I had with some of the dresses I received and am not really sure whether it is my english that is difficult to understand. A few of the dresses I have been packing were heavier than the others and I found out that these dresses have linings even if the fabric materials used are thick enough not to have linings. One dress with lining could be equivalent to 2 or even 3 normal size 6 or 8 dresses especially if the dress with lining is a large size. Normally in a plastic bag I can squeeze in as many as 12 dresses which would weigh about 1.5-2 kilos (depending on the sizes) but one of the bags I pack tonight only had 5 dresses on it and weighed almost 2 kilos. Just by looking at the plastic bag I could not figure out why so I decided to unpack and start unrolling the 5 dresses and I found that they had linings as thick as the fabric material of the dress. I am not criticizing dresses that are being donated. I appreciate all of them and I know that some of you wants a perfect dress but I think sometimes you also have to think whether it is practical to put a lining on a dress that is already thick enough to withstand washing in rugged environments. Please bear in mind that the sending of these dresses to different locations is based on weight and note (and I emphasized on the word note) that even if they are handcarried they still are based on weight to make sure they do not exceed their weight limit. People who volunteer to distribute these dresses sometimes have to walk handcarrying these bags to the area. For me they are doing us a favour and the less cost they incur making the distribution the better it would be so it would be great if we appreciate what they are doing by not making these bags too heavy for them to carry. If they are heavy it is because they have more dresses to carry and more children provided with new dresses but not heavy due to overweight dresses. 

Put yourself in the shoes of the people handcarrying and distributing these dresses and even the child who will be wearing the dress. Some of these volunteers go to hinterland or remote areas to help us make a difference. I believe that the process of making a difference and the feeling of joy that you have made a difference does not end when the dresses have been sent to my postbox. It is when the child gets to receive and wear the dress. That is when we have really made a difference. So please be more understanding. A perfect and practical-to-wear dress.Thank you.

Quilt Distribution #7 - For the kids of the BFO Orphanage Papua New Guinea Parcel 1A

I planned to share some of the blanket quilts I received last year with the kids of the BFO Orphanage in Papua New Guinea especially that I received more than what I expected but because the quilts are kept in another room I keep on forgetting I have to pack for them. Out of sight...out of mind. :-) Kidding aside, I am just really too busy sometimes I forget I have other things to do aside from dresses. 

Anyway, am not sure what the weather is like in Mt Hagen these days but I know that those kids need blankets especially those that sleeps on the cemented floor. Unfortunately I can only fit 4 quilts per box (cannot use big boxes as I may not be able to lift and seal them) due to the thickness of the items and the sizes so this time I am only sending 8 blanket quilts and hope to send more soon. So here are the two parcels of 8 blanket quilts which I will be posting this coming week for Aunty Rosa's kids  -

and here are the contents of these two parcels -

made possible by the following donors -
1) Linda Smyth
2) Craft and Hope Group Kapunda S.A.
3) Vera Jeffs
4) Shirley Bell
5) Karen Lienberg

To see larger images of the quilts, please click here or click on the special tab "Dress Distribution" located at top of this page.

Thank you all for making these 2 parcels of 8 blanket quilts possible. Thank you for your support of Dress A Girl Australia's initiative to keep a few children around the world and this time the kids of the BFO Orphanage in Mt Hagen Papua New Guinea warm at night, make them feel comfort and joy even if they are sleeping on the floor. Thank you. It is very much appreciated.