Mama Fashionista: Moms of HAPI-Bulacan Get Pre-Loved Clothes this International Women’s Month!
By Shawn Evans Quiming
HAPI Scholar
In celebration of International Women’s Month, several HAPI mothers from Malolos City, Bulacan received a donation from a fashionable donor, Ms. Mahrina Chowdhury this past March 17! Ms. Chowdhury sent new and gently-used clothing, shoes, sandals, slippers, and undergarments.
The HAPI moms of Bulacan are less-fortunate mothers whose family monthly incomes generate less than PHP 4,000. These mothers prioritize their families’ needs over their own, working hard every day to make ends meet. Instead of buying new clothes and shoes for themselves, their priority is to buy rice, food, and their children’s necessities, such as school supplies and prepaid Wi-Fi for online school sessions.
International Women’s Day is a global commemoration of women’s accomplishments whether it be social, political, cultural, or economic achievements. The day is also a rallying cry for gender equality around the world.
Each year, a different theme is chosen, with the 2022 theme being #BreaktheBias. Unconscious or intentional bias can make it challenging for women to advance in their careers or receive adequate healthcare. The hope of this year’s International Women’s Day is to “actively call out gender bias, discrimination, and stereotyping whenever they see it.”
HAPI is thankful to Ms. Mahrina Chowdhury for sending pre-loved clothes and shoes from the United States. Some clothes still have tags on them, and some were not even used once. The mothers even loved the undergarments, with one joking, “I hardly buy myself underwear; the one I’m wearing now looks like bacon!”
Needless to say, their sense of humour is always appreciated by HAPI.
Ms. Chowdhury not only donates to the mothers of HAPI Bulacan but also contributes to Silong Tanglaw Shelter for Boys, HAPI-Kids Alabang, and People’s Recovery Empowerment Development Assistance (PREDA) Foundation, a shelter for children who are sexually abused in Olangapo, Zambales.
