Pants to Poverty’s unique brand of fair-trade, organic underpants are specially made with a pocket fit for a condom. For each pair sold, £1 (R15.50) will go to the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) in South Africa.
The TAC’s Treatment Literacy Programme helps ordinary South Africans to access life-saving treatment, to understand their rights and resources available to them and educate people about the disease.
Ben Ramsden founder of Pants to Poverty explains, “TAC has been a source of great inspiration for me for many years. After first coming into contact with them when I was guiding the restructuring and repositioning of Amnesty International South Africa, I am now delighted to be carrying that through with our wonderful pants.”
He continues, “We cannot talk about poverty without challenging the HIV/AIDS crisis and access to treatment is of paramount importance. The position that TAC are in today after nearly ten years of amazing work, means that the £1 per pair of our condom pocket pants will be used effectively to support TAC’s Treatment Literacy Programme which empowers people to access life saving treatment.
“For the first time, by buying your pants, you’ll be taking part in the fight against HIV & AIDS."
Seven years ago, passers-by barely glanced at a handful of protesters on the steps of a Cape Town cathedral, unaware that they were witnessing the birth of Africa’s most powerful Aids lobby group. By the end of that day, on 10 December 1998, the small group had collected some 1 000 signatures supporting their cause.
They were the first members TAC, a non-governmental organisation led by anti-apartheid and gay rights activist Zackie Achmat, which aimed to spread the news that cheap HIV/AIDS drugs do exist.
Today TAC is recognised as being amongst the global leaders in the struggle against HIV/AIDS and their efforts have resulted in many life-saving interventions, including the implementation of country-wide mother-to-child transmission prevention and antiretroviral treatment programmes.
“Our collaboration with TAC in South Africa and French Letter condoms means that our new pants are able to literally promote safe sex in the UK, treatment of HIV in South Africa and a fair deal for the producers, all whilst giving consumers what they demand: exceptional quality and ethical pants at affordable prices,” says Ramsden.
According to Pants to Poverty’s website, they were inspired by Nelson Mandela’s words when he paid a visit to London and said: “Today hundreds of millions of people lie trapped and enslaved in the prison of poverty. It’s time to set them free. Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom”.
Visit Pants for Poverty by clicking here.
Source: Liezl Maclean www.southafrican.co.uk
