Let’s Match Mums
You can apply to Let’s Match Mums by clicking here.
Let’s Match Mums is an organization founded by the founder of Let’s Help Direct Provision. They match mums to facilitate passing on & receiving of preloved kids goods. At the moment they focus on connecting asylum seekers & refugees with local mums in their community but will be expanding to match more mums in the future. You can apply here or read more info about why we began below.
What we do
The average cost of raising a child ‘from cradle to college’ in Ireland was estimated at €105,321. Parents in their kids first year of life pay over 1K a month on average for products their kid will grow out of in their first year. Over 2.2 billion pounds of Kids textile waste finds its way into landfills each year. There are amazing quality preloved kids products out there & we are helping parents find a good home for their kids items.
Let’s Help is an organization that focuses on educating people about Direct Provision. We facilitated those in DP by telling their stories educating people about their experience.
How can I apply?
You can via this link
Who can apply?
Anyone who has baby and children clothes, equipment, toys that another mother will love as much as you do.
You do not need to be a mother to apply! Anyone who would like to get involved and has suitable donations can apply.
The Facts
Laya healthcare published the cost of raising a child in Ireland ‘from cradle to college’ for 2020 and estimated it at around €105,321 with the majority of parents (77%) admitting they put too much pressure on themselves to give their kids everything. In 2018, the Oireachtas published data stating that over 1,500 of those in Direct Provision were children.
Over the past three years, this number has only risen. Currently, it is estimated that children account for 30% of those seeking asylum. Many mothers who seek asylum have fled dangerous and violent environments, some doing so while pregnant. It should also be noted that many of these women have no access to childcare and may be raising their children alone without the right to work.
The birth rate for Ireland in 2020 was 12.352 births per 1000 people. Given that there are 4.9 million people currently living in Ireland, that accounts for a lot of baby equipment and clothes. With Let’s Match Mums, we hope to help promote sustainability as well as catering to the needs of asylum seeker mothers who are in need of our help.
How are Mums matched?
Using the data collected from the applications, suitable matches will be chosen between the mothers donating and the mothers in DP. Please note, the boundaries on a match will be made on a case by case basis. We will be providing the option of anonymity to DP mothers unless they request otherwise. When you apply, we will provide more detail on how this will work.
What to pass to your mum match:
All items are to be Pre Loved. We are promoting the traditional method of passing on kids items.
High-quality baby clothes, equipment, toys that do not show any signs of use and are ‘like new’. (Basically don’t pass on anything you wouldn’t accept yourself).
High-quality children’s clothes and toys that do not show any signs of use and are ‘like new’.
Nappies, baby formula, baby food.
School bags, copybooks, pencil cases, pens.
School shoes
Runners
Toys
Clothes, toys, baby equipment
We will go through the requirements in more detail when you are about to be matched. Products requested are different on a case by case basis and vary from mum to mum.