Projects we support

As a fair fashion brand, it is important to us at paigh to contribute to more sustainability and fairness not only through our clothing. In addition, we would like to support organizations that sustainably and long-term improve the lives of children and adults living in challenging circumstances. Projects that serve development aid are particularly important to us. Because with good development cooperation, industrialized countries and less developed countries cooperate in such a way that people can improve their living situation using their own resources if possible. This leads to lasting and truly sustainable changes in many people's lives. 

From now on, at the end of every year, we donate a small portion of our sales to selected aid organizations. By purchasing from paigh, you are also contributing a small part to a fairer world and to the fact that many people in this world can have a better life in the long term!

“Health isn’t everything, but without health everything is nothing.”

Our health is particularly fundamental to our (all) well-being, as well as to all people. When this is affected, it affects almost all other areas of life. Those who are seriously ill cannot go to school or work, for example, and are often dependent on help. It becomes even more dramatic if we become chronically ill or are permanently exposed to an increased risk of becoming ill. In addition to securing essential conditions of existence, our health essentially forms the basis of our lives. and determines our everyday life.

How often we get sick and how quickly we can get well again is strongly influenced by the available medical care in the country in which we live. We all learned last year at the latest that this supply can vary greatly from country to country. Particularly in particularly poor countries, the resources needed to contain diseases or heal sick people are often lacking. This is why health programs have a particularly positive impact on many areas of life.

It is important to us to support projects that have a proven impact and are cost-effective and transparent. When selecting the programs we want to support, we therefore took the findings of wirksam-spenden and GiveWell as a guide. 

Ultimately, we decided on three wonderful aid projects, each of which we would like to briefly introduce to you below.

 

Malaria Consortium

Malaria causes considerable suffering. More than 200 million people are still infected every year through the bite of a mosquito, the majority of whom live on the African continent. The disease is fatal for almost 450,000 people, and over ⅔ of those who die are children under the age of five. But even if the disease is not fatal, those affected suffer enormously: in addition to initial flu-like symptoms, malaria can lead to permanent impairment of vision, hearing or epilepsy. 

The risk of contracting malaria in many countries depends on the season. During the four-month rainy season, there are significantly more mosquitoes - making it the peak season for malaria infections. The Malaria Consortium provides children with the preventive drugs sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and amodiaquine during this time. These drugs are recommended by the WHO because they have been proven over the years, are effective and also inexpensive. It costs less than seven dollars to protect a child throughout the entire rainy season. The Malaria Consortium also supports the training of staff who administer the necessary medication to the children. The staff visit the children in their homes a total of four times during the prevention period. 

The Malaria Consortium doesn't only help in African countries. The disease still poses a serious threat in Thailand and Southeast Asia, which is why the organization is committed to reducing malaria infections here too. Since the majority of our products are manufactured in Thailand, this aspect of the project is of course particularly important to us.

What are the benefits of preventive medication?

The effect of such "chemoprevention" through drugs has been proven by several randomized studies : Approximately 75% of all clinical malaria cases could be prevented through chemoprevention programs. If malaria does occur, the disease is less severe thanks to prevention. Fortunately, the decline in malaria infections not only has advantages for individuals, but also has economic benefits: According to wirksam-spenden.org , every dollar spent on anti-malaria activities in African countries increases the gross domestic product by 6.75 dollars, which is an extraordinarily high value.

To date, the Malaria Consortium has prevented more than 10 million cases of malaria.

 

Deworm the World Initiative

Over 1.5 billion people worldwide are infected with worms. Yes, you heard that right. 1.5 BILLION. The focus is on the worm diseases schistosomiasis and helminthiasis. The worm larvae enter the human body via contaminated soil, plants or water. Worm infestation can have serious health consequences and even be fatal, especially in children. For example, helminthiasis can lead to stunted growth and anemia in the long term. The children's future is also at risk due to the worm infestation: due to the absence from school due to illness, they cannot enjoy sufficient education and earn significantly less in adulthood than healthy children - the risk of spending their entire life in poverty increases immensely. 

Effective worm treatment is very inexpensive, but people living in extreme poverty lack the money to pay for even this. With the cost-effective, school-based deworming programs promoted by the Deworm the World Initiative , a child can be dewormed for an entire year for just one dollar. 

Twice a year, children take deworming pills under supervision, which reliably rid them of parasites. Deworm The World focuses primarily on the two countries Kenya and India. The average total cost per treatment is between $0.35 and $0.66. The organization works with government agencies and not only promotes the preparation and implementation of the programs, but also the subsequent evaluation.

How deworming programs help children in the long term

Since 2014, the Deworm the World Initiative has delivered over 1 billion treatments that have positive impacts on nutrition, cognitive abilities, class participation, and long-term economic prospects. The effectiveness of deworming programs can be proven by several scientifically recognized studies. As a result, the number of infected children drops drastically; the effect is stronger the longer the pills are administered. 

In 2017 alone, Deworm The World reached 280 million children. The project is not only particularly cost-effective with its deworming measures, but is also very transparent and continues to have high growth potential.

GiveDirectly

One in ten people lives on less than $1.90 a day – i.e. in extreme poverty. However, in many programs donations do not reach those in need directly, but only in a roundabout way. Classic development cooperation projects are often more influenced by political decisions than by the actual needs of the people in need of help. In addition, substantial portions of the funds often go towards employees from donor countries or administrative costs.

GiveDirectly does it differently: Here, people living in extreme poverty are transferred money via mobile phone. The amount is the equivalent of a year's income. In Kenya, that's about $1,000 for a five-person household. These money transfers are not tied to any conditions and the recipients can use them to buy urgently needed food and medicine, for example, or pay school fees. They do not have to pay the money back.

Where does the money flow?

Of the donations made to GiveDirectly, only 15% is used for administrative purposes. This is an exceptionally low value and makes money transfers extremely efficient. The money is very safe from corruption as it is transferred directly to people's cell phones via mobile banking. The beauty of this approach is that it can be transferred to other countries without much effort.

You may not think it right away, but unconditional cash transfers - unlike many conventional aid measures - help people out of poverty in a sustainable and reliable way. A whole series of scientific studies have shown this. Not only do they lead to sustainable improvements in areas such as education, health and savings rates, but they also have positive effects on the physical and mental well-being of the recipients. The concern that the money will be spent on alcohol or drugs is, as studies repeatedly show, unfounded. 

Cash transfers are among the best evaluated approaches to development cooperation. Since the beginning of the project, GiveDirectly has also attached great importance to ensuring that the projects are scientifically supported and carefully evaluated. The organization is also very transparent and cost-effective. 

In 2018, GiveDirectly paid out nearly $60 million directly to extremely poor people.