Another Australian firm boosts First Lady’s charity work

Tendai Rupapa

Angel of Hope Foundation patron First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa who was in Australia on her maiden philanthropic visit, received new clothes and shoes for all genders and age groups from the Australian charity organisation Thread Together for onward distribution to the needy.

This will ease the plight of vulnerable communities, restore dignity and provide hope to people in difficult situations.

It is the first time that the organisation is donating brand-new clothes to Africa specifically, Zimbabwe.

They said Dr Mnangagwa’s works through her AoHF touched their hearts.

Amai Mnangagwa, has in her care, many people, including children who were living and working on the streets of major towns and cities whom she committed to Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa Children’s Home, formerly Chambuta Children’s Home, in Chiredzi and scores of others who are housed at her Skills Development Centre in Mbare, Harare.

Victims of domestic violence who make contact with her Gender-based Violence Call Centre line 575 often make requests for clothes after running away from perpetrators only with the clothes they will be wearing.

A passionate giver, the First Lady regularly distributes clothes and shoes to homes, and members of vulnerable communities whom she also ensures have warm clothes and blankets every winter.

Victims of natural disasters like floods, also benefit from AoHF.

Thread Together collaborates with some of Australia’s largest clothing brands and suppliers.

The firm also partners with charities and social service agencies to clothe individuals, families and communities in need.

Thread Together chief executive officer, Mr Anthony Chesler, said his company receives thousands of fashion brands from many companies which they distribute to charities.

“We serve to tackle two very complex problems. The first is the diversion of new clothing that’s going to landfill. So, a lot of new clothes that get produced end up in landfills all around the country. So, we exist as an organisation to keep new clothing out of landfills. Thousands of fashion brands from all around the country donate clothing to us.

“Everything that hasn’t been sold, those removed from shelves to prepare for clothes for the next season, so it’s all new. Like it hasn’t been worn, it’s not second-hand, it hasn’t been returned. It’s new clothing that’s just overproduced. And we collect that clothing from all around the country, so this is a national operation. And that clothing comes into this centre. And our organisation is powered by volunteers. So we work with about 6 000 volunteers a year,” he said.

He said the volunteers help to sort the clothing into categories and sizes.

“So for example, we might have a very large donation of women’s clothing, but it will include long dresses and short dresses and formal dresses and t-shirts and shirts and skirts. And so we’ve got to sort those into categories and sizes. That’s all we have to do to get a brand new gift to people. And then we provide clothing to about 2,000 people a week in Australia. We have done some international aid.

We are supporting, in Los Angeles at the moment, the wildfires that have occurred because there are lots of Australian brands that are already there,” he said.

He said he was glad to partner AoHF and support Dr Mnangagwa’s work.

“We haven’t sent a lot of products in the past to Africa, but with what we have seen in the video clip detailing your work, you are doing a lot of work and we will send you containers of clothes and shoes so that your charity work becomes easier.

“We are excited to be able to support your community initiatives. I have some family members in South Africa. I have visited Zimbabwe, I have spent some time at Victoria Falls, and Lake Kariba, so I have a very strong affinity to Africa,” he said.

He further explained how his organisation distributes the clothes to the needy.

“No country is immune to poverty. I think in Australia, people think it’s a first-world country, and it looks beautiful, but there’s still a lot of hardship.

“There’s a lot of people that are escaping family and domestic violence. That’s a big area of vulnerability. There are about 150,000 people that are homeless in Australia.

“We have a lot of people that are impacted by natural disasters, so there’s lots of flooding at the moment up in far north Queensland, right up north, and there’s bushfires on the west coast in Perth. So the country is always either on fire or underwater. We do a lot of work to help people who have been impacted by floods or fires. We’re helping a lot of people who have been impacted by new arrivals to the country. We work with any organisation that needs clothing and we are happy to work with your Angel of Hope Foundation,” he said.

“We also work with charities, Australian-based charities that are supporting people who are escaping domestic violence, experiencing mental health. We never sell clothing, no clothing is sold, it’s only ever given to people who are in need.

So at a domestic violence shelter, we build wardrobes and put as many clothes for the women.

On arrival at the shelter, they can access new clothing, just to give them some comfort on arrival.

That’s one of how we provide clothing to people. So the women’s shelter, invites us to build one of these wardrobes into the centre and then we continue to provide more clothing when the clothing gets depleted, we replenish it.

So that’s one of the four ways. The second way is we have our physical stores, so we’ve created an opportunity for someone who doesn’t have any money to have an authentic shopping experience. So they can come into our stores, they can browse, they can try on shoes, clothing, try on clothing, they have an authentic experience to shop but they don’t have to pay for anything because we don’t sell any of the clothing.”

In her acceptance speech, Dr Mnangagwa praised Thread Together for the work that it is doing to support the needy.

“What you are doing as an organisation makes a lot of sense. When doing my charity work, whenever I take some food parcels to feed people, especially children and old people’s homes, those same people will need clothes and shoes as well. They do not have anything and they rely on well-wishers. So this donation will go a long way in helping the less privileged from children to the elderly.

“I am happy that you are also helping victims of gender-based violence. You see in the case of a woman, she runs away from the family home, from the perpetrator without anything. She might run to a safe shelter and these women need clothing.

“I am also playing my part through my Angel of Hope Foundation in trying to provide for and economically empower victims of GBV by initiating projects for them.

“For some people, clothes are to keep them warm. While for other people, it helps them to present in a particular way for a job interview,” she said.

Dr Mnangagwa spoke about her children’s home where she is assisting children taken off the streets and drug survivors.

“I have a children’s home called Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa children’s home where I am housing children taken off the streets and some were drug addicts. They are changed people now and are attending school while at the same time doing vocational skills. Soon some of them will be done with school and will be in search of work, they will need presentable clothes. I see clothing as a basic human right that people forget about,” she said. – Herald Online