Clothing Drive

So, I've got the wheels set in motion for my clothing drive. February 16th is the deadline for my family, friends, co-workers, etc to give me new and gently used clothes for my children. My children = the children (1-18) in the orphanages in Naija and the newborn babies in Rwanda. I am so glad to have gotten it off the ground. I actually started telling people last year but received a couple of nasty emails.

There's always a silver lining though. One of my friends has been so super collecting donations on my behalf. This past weekend, she dropped off bags and bags of clothes and she's got more coming. God bless you, B! My lil' sis has also donated some new clothes fresh from France. God bless you, GB! So many people have promised to clear out their closets before my deadline. It's all wonderful. I can't wait to box them all up and ship them off to their final destinations.

DH and I somehow got talking about how many pens we have in the house. It's ridiculous. We have loads and loads of pens. It's also funny because at my desk at work, I always have to scramble to find my one lonesome pen. Anyways, I grabbed a handful on my way out the door ('cause I'm tired of looking for that one biro) and he was like why don't we ship some to Naija. I found that in itself so funny. Ship biros? Alrighty then. He was like, what if we got boxes and boxes and shipped them to kids in Naija schools? We talked some more about it and thought maybe after this clothes drive, we'll do a school supplies drive and find a school in Naija that we'll supply with all manner of school supplies. Neat, ain't it? We'll see about that if people aren't tired of me by then. Asking for donations can almost seem like begging. You have to be strong-willed about it.

I'm still looking for someone to ship my stuff to Naija and Rwanda. I heard there's some guy that'll ship for $2 per pound. That doesn't sound like a bad deal. If that doesn't work out, I'll use the good old US Postal Service. I'm hoping I can get a reliable shipping agent though. Anyone knows one in Atlanta, please let me know. I've heard of some people that'll do it but you have to get the stuff to New York.

Totally Uninspired

I'm at this stage in my life where I need to take concrete steps to make my life more meaningful. That sounds so cliche but I need to do something MORE with my life. I have tons of ideas but I haven't been inspired to take the next step. My mind's been working overtime and there's been pressure from DH to do SOMETHING already but yet nothing. Maybe I need to take a trip to home country to get some motivation. It always helps spur me into action or at least gets my creative juices flowing.

Here's one idea I have floating around - I think I may have even blogged about my experience visiting the Motherless Babies Home in Lekki and seeing a little boy dressed in little girl clothing. I want to organize a clothing drive specifically for kids. I have tried to talk to my friends about this but somehow the conversation turns back to them/us: Em, what if I have another baby? It's been five years but you never know? So when next are we taking a trip? We need to take a vacation! Huh? I just told you about these kids needing clothes and that's what you have to say?

I can't really blame anyone for not seeing my vision. It's my deal not theirs. Also, I have been a total slacker. It has been a while since I took that trip but haven't done too much since then. I need to investigate this further - Is it okay to give little kids used clothes? I could always ask for new clothing but don't know that I can go far with that. It might be best to start with what people don't want and gradually move up. What about the jazz issue? I have heard that some Naija people don't like to give away their used clothes for fear that those that receive them will harm them with black magic. Also, how do I get the clothes there if I do a drive here? It can get expensive mailing these things - I know from experience. I can only pay for so much shipping. I think about all these issues and hit the brakes.

Well, if it doesn't work out in Nigeria, what about Rwanda? Maybe I need to concentrate on Rwanda. I know for a fact that they appreciate the clothes. I've given away new and used items from Blu's layette and have been told how appreciative the new mothers over there are. I feel I should do more than just that but I'm stuck - totally uninspired. Maybe I need to find someone who shares this passion and take this one step further.