JAPAN, DEEP IN OUR HEARTS

Once again, tragedies as the ones in Japan make us to put things into perspective and think about how happy do we are just for being alive. Watching such devastation and seeing how the Japanese people are dealing with it, make really difficult to find words to fully express our regrets.

There is not much that we can do, but at least we can use this blog to post one of the all non-profit organizations that Grupo Cortefiel collaborates with, that are already mobilizing help to Japan. Because each and everyone of us can make a difference.

You can make a donation to Spanish Red Cross.

AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE

Libya’s crisis is worrying. The ACNUR’s Spanish Committee (United Nations High Commission for the Refugees) has contacted Grupo Cortefiel in order to inform about this horrible situation and ask for help. It seems something around 200.000 people has already fled Libyan’s violence seeking refuge in other countries. The real dimension of the crisis is still unknown, however, UN is seriously considering a new exodus of around 400.000 more people in the days to come.

From women’secret we want to let you know one of the best ways to collaborate to help those civil refugees in need of food, emergency camps and basic care.

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W’S AND AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL JOIN FORCES AGAIN TO COMBAT GENDER VIOLENCE. ARE YOU WITH US?

Violence against women is the most widespread, hidden and unpunished of all human rights violations. Don’t keep gender violence a secret.

Last spring w’s and Amnesty International carried out a joint campaign in Portugal aimed at raising awareness of the problem of gender violence and the need to help women who are the victims of this violence to report it. This groundbreaking campaign received such extensive media coverage this spring that we’ve decided to expand the campaign to Spain.

Violence against women and young girls is the most widespread human rights violation of our time. It’s estimated that one in three women around the world are beaten, forced to have sex or subjected to other forms of abuse at some time during their lives. According to reports from the World Health Organisation, 70% of the women murdered in the world are killed by their partners or ex-partners. Gender violence is also the main cause of death or disability amongst women aged between 16 and 44. Unfortunately, only a very small percentage of these aggressions are reported, as many women are too ashamed or afraid to come forward, fearful that they will be treated with scepticism, or with even more violence. Sexual violence, the exploitation of women and girls for sexual purposes, female genital mutilation and forced marriages are almost invisible forms of gender violence. women’secret supports Amnesty International in its projects to combat gender violence.

Because gender violence has to stop being a secret. Because our brand is created by women for women and we feel totally committed to you. So, once again we’re drawing attention to a problem that has become a blight on society. And we want you to collaborate with us to make sure it stops being a secret. W’s has designed a protest collection (on sale from 1 March whilst stocks last) in which Spanish designer Carla Fuentes depicts the dreams and fears of many women that are the victims of this violence. Apart from the collection and set up in our stores, we’ll be donating €40,000 to this cause.
Want to join us? We need your help to make this project a success and raise everyone’s awareness of this extremely serious problem.

In our stores: mannequins with a megaphone in their hands with protest messages and our logo crossed with a yellow tape, showing our commitment to this campaign, something that is truly dear to our hearts.

The garments will be on sale in the women’secret stores and also at our online store from the 1 March.

Click here if you’d like to collaborate with Amnesty International.

Help us to stop gender violence being a secret. Share this information with your friends on Facebook.

CHANGE YOUR NAME TO KIMBO

At women’secret we continue to embark ourselves on charity aims. We have joined in with the new UNICEF Spain campaign to fight against infant mortality. That’s why we’re asking you to change you name to that of Kimbo.

We are all well aware of the infant mortality incidence around the world. However, as we are all taken by our stressful day a day, it’s difficult find the time to pay attention to that particular problem. That’s why we are now raising our voices by filling the world with “Kimbos”. We really need your support to fulfil our mission.

But, who’s Kimbo? He’s an ill African little boy. He represents those millions of kids around the world that die because of conditions we can easily fight against, i.e. with a measles vaccine or with a mosquito-screen..

Why should we all change our names? An African legend says that one can save the life of an ill person just by changing its name to that person’s name. There are a lot of people who have already done it, want to join in?

Change you name to Kimbo and join in the fight against infant mortality. Pau Gasol and many other celebrities are already giving their strength to the ones who need it most.

THIRD EDITION OF THE FASHION BREAST CANCER BY WOMEN’SECRET

For the third year in a row, women’secret and the Portuguese NGO Laço have launched in 2010 the third edition of the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer collection, designed to help with the fight against breast cancer in Portugal. As in previous years, part of the benefits will go to set up new centers of excellence for the diagnosis and treatment of this condition in Portugal.

It’s a sporty collection, featuring a green target printed on plain stretchy cotton garments and accessories. Buying clothes from this collection means helping fight breast cancer in Portugal.

Some of the garments from his collection are these:

Celebrities helping to set up this year media campaign included Ana Rita Clara, Dalila Carmo, Joana Cruz, Mafalda Pinto y Sandra Barata Belo. You can see the making of video here:

The NGO Laço is one of the best-known charities in Portugal in its nationwide fight against breast cancer.

AMNISTIA INTERNACIONAL & WOMEN’SECRET JOIN FORCES AGAINST GENDER VIOLENCE

This is one of the boldest campaigns women’secret has embarked on to date. Not just because of the message, but also because of the way we’re getting the message across.

The fight against gender violence continues to cause a major headache for many governments. But little can be achieved if the victims of this kind of violence continue to suffer in silence as if they were ashamed to speak up and tell their story. This unmentionable secret that so many women are unwilling to own up to is the slogan for the campaign launched by women’secret and Amnesty International this spring 2010 in Portugal: “Gender violence shouldn’t be a secret”.

Together with illustrator André Letria, we’ve featured this slogan on a mini collection made up of 3 T-shirts and 2 pairs of shorts with bold messages designed to help us say no to gender violence. w’s has promised to donate €25,000 to this worthy cause.

But apart from making a financial contribution, here at women’secret we liked the idea of using our windows and stores to draw attention to this issue. And as well as giving our mannequins a megaphone and dressing them up in protest slogans, we’ve even dared to cross out part of our slogan in all our stores: we’ve crossed out the word ’secret’ with tape in the Amnesty International corporate colour and featuring their logo to show our commitment to this cause.

In addition, we’ve filled the streets of Lisbon with girls handing out secret notes inviting young women to discover a secret… in our stores! And apart from the window displays, we’ve created a special space in the stores with a book with blank pages where girls can write and read their messages and thoughts.

The garments will be on sale in the Portuguese store from the 25 March, and also at our online store. The campaign has been created for Portugal, but we’d like all of you, women from all over the world, to discover at first hand an initiative that is so important for all of us.

A big thank you to everyone for helping us to set up initiatives like this. If it wasn’t for you, they simply wouldn’t be possible!

CHARITY MARKET IN MADRID HELPS TO GET AN EDUCATIONAL PROJECT OFF THE GROUND IN DELHI

Just a little effort was all it took to help get this great project off the ground. Once again, w’s decided it can do something to help others. So, in November 2009, and together with other brands in the Cortefiel Group, we organised a charity market in Madrid. In just a few days we managed to raise a grand total of 17,605 euros! On this occasion the money raised was donated to NGO Naya Nagar, which is financing the Mera Parivar food and education project (Mera Parivar means ‘my family’ in Hindi). The money will also go towards setting up a project providing training for health professionals in nursing and nutrition for babies.

This NGO works to ensure that underprivileged children in the Delhi area receive state education and to help families in need.

If you’d like to find out more about the work they do, then visit their websites at:
www.nayanagar.org
www.meraparivar.org

Here are some of the photos showing the projects we’ve taken part in:

HAITI

Our hearts are with all the victims of the Haiti earthquake.

The situation is critic so some of the NGOs working on the country have already set up bank accounts to take donations to help all devastated communities. Grupo Cortefiel (the company that owns women’secret) usually collaborates with Fundación Lealtad, that has sent to us a full list of NGOs you can make a donation to. Because each and every one of us can make a difference!

Ayuda en Acción
Cáritas Española Servicios Generales
CESAL
Entreculturas
Fundación Nantik Lum
Intermon Oxfam
Manos Unidas
Médicos del Mundo
Médicos Sin Fronteras
Plan España
Solidaridad Internacional
UNICEF – Comité Español

WOMEN’SECRET DESIGNS SMILES TO SEND TO MUMBAI

Is it possible to design smiles?

At women’secret we try to find reasons to smile and take our smiles wherever we go. Today we have the opportunity to spread this spirit beyond fashion and we’re so excited! During the month of November, women’secret is collaborating with the charity Sonrisas de Bombay (Mumbai Smiles) for the building of 5 nursery schools in the city for children between the ages of 2 and 6 years.

Sonrisas de Bombay is going impressive work with underprivileged children in the vast urban sprawl of this Indian city. Some 5,000 orphans and families from vulnerable Mumbai communities have gained the chance of a better future.

Throughout the month of November, shopping in women’secret will mean making someone smile on the other side of the world. Gandhi once said: “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

We hope you join us on this rewarding trip!

To find out more about this association, click here.

Look at the smiles we are making in Mumbai! Will you help us to make more?

To find out more about our good causes, click here.