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My sister’s baby is getting closer to coming home! Their case went to court this week, and we’re hoping they will be heading to Ethiopia by early April. She is planning on bringing some supplies for our agency’s orphanage. One of the things Ethiopian orphanages need constantly is plastic pants. Most (if not all) of the orphanages use cloth diapers, and plastic pants are impossible to find over there. It is not uncommon to see the workers using plastic bags as plastic pants.
My older Ethiopian daughter came home with scarring on her upper legs. I am guessing it was from ill-fitting plastic pants or maybe sacks tied on– I don’t know. The scars have faded over the years but are still visible. Because of her, I send plastic pants to Ethiopia whenever I can. The challenge I’ve had is finding the pants.
The Walmarts in my area sell only the larger sizes. From what I’ve seen of Ethiopian kids, by the time most of them are big enough for extra-large, they’re probably also potty trained in most cases. And a search on Babies R Us and Target.com turned up nothing.
I found some on Amazon.com in every size, but wasn’t really happy with the price. It was about $58 for 30 pair of plastic pants, with shipping. But when I clicked on that supplier’s link All Together Diapers, I discovered that they sell them for humanitarian purposes for a little bit lower price. Ordering directly from the company at the humanitarian price gave me 36 pair for $54 including shipping. So for $4 less I got 6 more pairs.
I thought I’d mention this in case any other families are interested in helping out their orphanages in this way. The website also sells cloth diapers by the dozen. If you buy diapers, buy the birdseye FLAT diapers, NOT the prefolds. The prefolds take too long to dry and are not as adjustable to various sizes of children. I did not price them, but if you’re interested in doing a diaper drive for your child’s orphanage, you can call All Together Diapers directly (1-877-215-9004) and get prices.
Another great idea for donations is the Mervyn’s clearance rack. I just bought 5 pairs of big kid pants (sizes 10-16 which are always needed at Layla) for only $2 each! As a bonus, they are the stylish lightweight cargo style, so they will dry faster than jeans on those clotheslines and take less space/weight on the trip over.
Good tip, Ginger! I’ve had good luck with the Mervyn’s clearance rack too.
I just scored 72 for $80.75 at http://www.healthpursuit.com. The $8.95 shipping rate stayed the same when I added more sets of 18. I thought this was pretty good considering most places seem to be sold out of the small sizes right now. Just a tip!