A Guest Blogger...

A little while ago I wrote a post about a craft group that I belong to called Sisters of Stitch which meets fortnightly at Chermside library. I showed some items that I was taking in to hand over to another member, Karen.

Cloth nappies...

and some soap...intriguing isn't it? 

Now Karen is a Guide leader with the Chermside group, and I invited her to be a guest blogger and write a post to explain why the group is collecting such items...plus many more items. Karen ends the post with a plea for help. Many of you live too far away but if any readers feel that they may be able to help in some way, I will put Karen's email address at the end.
Here is her story...

My name is Karen Little I am a Girl Guide Leader at Chermside.  We recently had two Leaders from Mt Hagen, Papua New Guinea visit us.  Rachael and Sarah asked our assistance in a Service Project they are running.

Rachael and Sarah with the Chermside troupe (media permission has been granted for all minors in this photo) 

In the New Guinea Highlands a lot of the men are polygamists.  When a second wife is brought  into a household there  is a lot of  jealousy between the two wives.  What begins as a bit of push and shove often ends up as a tragedy when one wife kills the other.

She ends up in jail in Mt Hagen, often pregnant, sometimes with a small baby.  The husband will have nothing to do with her and her family disown her.  If her family acknowledged her they would have to pay restitution to the murdered wife’s family of a lot of money and pigs which they simply wouldn't have, as they are from a subsistence farming community.

In jail the women are supplied with the barest minimum to survive.  Things we take for granted like underwear and soap they do not get.   While they are allowed to keep their child with them they do not get anything supplied for that child.

Rachael and Sarah asked if we could collect second hand items to help these women.  Among the most needed items are:-

• cloth nappies,
• clothes for babies and small children,
• Bras and knickers for the women.

I ask for your help.  Please check your drawers for unwanted items of this nature.  If you are able to help us collect these things you have our heartfelt thanks and the knowledge that they are going where they are urgently needed.

Karen's address is as follows but is written in a form to discourage spammers...karen dot little58 at yahoo dot com dot au  or you can use my email button or the comments section.