Give Your Best - Pre-loved Clothing For Refugee Women
When people hear the shocking statistics about many societal problems, they may say they want to help but they simply don’t know how or where to start. For example, donating unwanted items to charity or charity shops is a well-known option that people may be more aware of. However, have you ever considered if your donated items are suitable for someone else to use?
Usability is one of the core principles Give Your Best was built on and they really emphasise the importance of giving your best to those in need. Born out of the pandemic, Give Your Best was founded by Sol in 2020 after she rallied much support when asking for donations to help many asylum seekers get period products and other hygiene basics. In doing so, she realised the lack of provisions made for many women living on low wages, being unable to afford necessary products for feminine hygiene and cleanliness. Now, Sol has a remarkable team of 65 volunteers (who all happen to be women) working tirelessly to ensure that vulnerable women have access to and choice over the items donated to them. Also being an immigrant herself, Sol can identify with some of the challenges faced when starting life in a new country. Her own experience provides her with compassion and motivates her to help other women who are in a similar position to her, 15 years ago.
Give Your Best is a clothes-based platform focused on empowering refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable women by providing them with donated, good condition clothes. They believe that all donations should provide whoever receives them with respect. Many people may give their unwanted clothes to charity, but how many actually think that it would be suitable to reuse or sell? After being in multiple lockdowns, we have all had more time on our hands than we may know what to do with and as a result, people are decluttering their wardrobes. This is a good thing since more people may donate to charity, but we must be considerate in our giving. Don’t give torn clothes or items with worn out/stained materials because it wouldn’t be considered a gift if you were on the receiving end. Despite being in its early stages, Give Your Best have made quite an impact already. In the space of 1 year, over 5,500 items have been donated and out of those, over 5,000 items have been shopped and well-received by their new owners. One of the best things about Give Your Best is that they have empowered over 500 women from various walks of life, and this is only the beginning!
“How can I get involved,” you ask? If you have any clothes, shoes, technology, or accessories you wish to donate, simply register your donation of choice using the respective forms to provide details about your items. You also need to take 2 clear pictures (front and back) of your item and there are further instructions on what is considered an acceptable photo found on the Give Your Best website. Then, newly donated items are posted on the Give Your Best free shop and if your item is ‘shopped’ (chosen/requested by a customer), you will be notified via email with information on where to send your items. You are kindly asked to cover the shipping/postage costs but if you are unable to, contact Give Your Best to see how they can help. If you follow these steps, your donation should make its way smoothly to an excited new owner. You can follow Give Your Best on Instagram (@giveyourbest.uk) to keep up to date with the impact donations have. Head to the Give Your Best website for more information!
Written by: Georgina Weston