Poverty. Hunger. AIDS. Depression.
These words describe conditions in countries all over the world, including Uganda, an East African country that is receiving help from students across campus.
MorLove, a student organization designed to help a Ugandan school called the Amani Baby Cottage, refashions clothing, particularly T-shirts, to sell on campus.
The T-shirts and clothing are donated by students, staff and people from the community. The organization already has a room-sized storage container full of goods.
The proceeds are then sent to the Amani Baby Cottage in Uganda along with care products, which are also sent to other places in need, according to Mor Aframian, a sophomore in textile and apparel management and creator of the organization.
“We are also donating clothes that aren’t being used by the MorLove Foundation. They are being put in a container and shipped to Madagascar to help a new school that just opened up,” she said. “School supplies, clothes, kitchen supplies and bedding that they need [are being donated as well].”
She said students redesign and refashion the T-shirts. Some even cut up and sew different shirts together.
“Each student [involved] took a T-shirt and manipulated it any way they wanted to — put a message on it,” she said. “[The project is to help] child illiteracy — giving love and understanding we are one people. We shouldn’t discriminate or segregate.”
Aframian said most of the T-shirt designers are students from the College of Textiles, but she encourages people all over campus to get involved one way or another.
“There is probably a good 50 to 80 students who are involved. Ninety percent of the incoming [textiles] freshmen decided to make a T-shirt,” she said. “We have a lot of freshmen who are very involved and are very good at what they are doing.”
Alex Matthews, a freshman in the College of Textiles and one of the T-shirt designers, indicated that the project is fulfilling and fun.
“I thought it would be fun. I just wanted to help,” she said. “[The project] is really neat.”
She also noted, as a freshman straight out of high school, that a big difference between working in high school service projects and college service projects is that on the collegiate level, the projects address “a lot more of a global concern.”
Aframian emphasized that she plans on making the MorLove organization more than just a one-year project.
“We are working on building this as a long-term, lasting organization,” she said. “This is not just for this year.”
Aframian said the organization plans on making care packages for other universities to embark on the same project.
“We are thinking that eventually we would like to take this nationwide and making any campus that has any interest in fashion a part of this,” she said. “They can set up their own students and we can send them a care package of how to present it with our tags and combine all the money together and send it [at the same time to the Amani Baby Cottage].”
The MorLove organization started selling its first T-shirts Monday in the Brickyard and will continue selling there on Fridays for the rest of the semester.
“Our clothes range anywhere from five to 20 dollars — we try to make it college affordable,” she said. “The first day was pretty good – a good response of people are coming by and talking to us. We sold six shirts in four hours and that doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is for a small project – a brand new project.”
Since the first day of sales on Monday, the project has sold 24 T-shirts and made $320 as of Thursday afternoon.
Morgan Gladden, a freshman in First Year College, bought a T-shirt Thursday in the Brickyard. He said he heard about the MorLove organization on Facebook.
“I want to try and help and support Mor,” he said. “[This is] a great idea – it is great [Aframian] got so many people from [the College of Textiles] to help out.”
Chad Suggs, a junior in biological sciences, bought two T-shirts from the clothing rack located in front of Harrelson Hall.
“It is a good cause,” he said. “[The project] is taking care of kids in Uganda and I think we should take care of kids here too — but they need help over there.”
Suggs bought a shirt with lyrics written by John Lennon, “Imagine all the people living life in peace” emblazoned on the front.
Aframian emphasized that the organization has plans for other projects in the future besides T-shirts.
“After this project we are going to let students be creative on their own and we are just going to let them create whatever they want — more than just T-shirts – headbands, bags, dresses, skirts,” she said. “Our next big project is going to be making sweatshirts for children at the cottage and anyone in the University who would like to be part of that – you pay $5 and you have the sweatshirt and all the supplies you need and you personalize the sweatshirt.”
She added that the designers of the sweatshirts will send a personalized letter to the recipients.
According to Aframian, the project is on its feet because of a core group of faculty and students including Philip Dail, the director of advising and admissions at the College of Textiles, Emily Hanhan, a senior in textile and apparel management, Meghan Holliday, a junior in textile technology and Georgia Ponton, a sophomore in arts applications.
Aframian is enthusiastic about the project and said this is a great way to get involved in helping people.
“I think that N.C. State has the potential to be involved in something this great and there are always so many causes people can take action towards and this is one of them,” she said. “There are so many things you can do — all you have to do is say ‘OK, I am going to do it.'”
She added that when people have the ability to help others they should take advantage of the opportunity.
“This project is about people understanding that there is someone in need and we have the means to help — there is no reason to sit and wait,” she said. “In the end, you are making someone else live a better and happier life. I think we should start a revolution one shirt at a time.”