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 garments. In addition, we want to support organizations that improve the lives of children and adults living in challenging circumstances in a sustainable and long-term way. Projects that serve development aid are particularly close to our hearts. This is because good development cooperation involves industrialized countries and less developed countries cooperating in such a way that people are able to improve their living conditions through their own efforts wherever possible. This leads to lasting and truly sustainable changes in the lives of many people.

At the end of each year we donate a small portion of our sales to selected charities. So you also contribute with your purchase at paigh a small part to a fairer world and to the fact that many people in this world can be better off in the long term!

"Health is not everything, but without health everything is nothing."

Particularly fundamental for our (all) well-being, just as for all people, is our health. If this is tarnished, this has effects on 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 when we become chronically ill or are permanently exposed to an increased risk of falling ill. So in addition to securing essential conditions of existence, our health is basically the basis of our lives and determines our everyday life.

How often we get sick and how quickly we can then get well again is strongly influenced by the existing medical care of the country in which we live. Last year, at the latest, we all learned that this care can vary greatly from country to country. Particularly poor countries often lack the resources needed to contain diseases or to heal sick people. Therefore, especially here health programs have a particularly positive impact on many areas of life.

It is important to us to support such projects that have a proven impact and are cost-effective and transparent. Therefore, when selecting the programs we would like to support, we followed the advice by effective-donating or GiveWell.

We have chosen three wonderful aid projects, each of which we would like to briefly introduce to you below.

Malaria Consortium

Malaria causes considerable suffering. Through the bite of a mosquito annually still more than 200 million people are infected, the majority of whom live on the African continent. For almost 450,000 people, the disease ends fatally, over ⅔ of the fatalities are children under five years. But even in a non-fatal course, infected persons suffer enormously: malaria can, in addition to initial flu-like symptoms, lead to permanent restrictions of vision, hearing or epilepsy.

The risk of contracting malaria depends on the season in many countries. During the four-month rainy season there are significantly more mosquitoes - making it the high 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 proven themselves over the years, are effective and also inexpensive. Thus, it costs less than seven dollars to protect a child throughout the rainy season. In addition, the Malaria Consortium supports the training of staff members who administer the necessary medication to the children. Staff members visit the children during the prevention period a total of four times in their homes.

The Malaria Consortium does not only help exclusively in African countries. The disease is also still a serious threat in Thailand and Southeast Asia, which is why the organization is also working to reduce malaria infections here. Since the majority of our products are manufactured in Thailand, this aspect of the project is of course particularly close to our hearts.

What is the benefit of preventive medication?

The effect of such "chemoprevention" by the drugs has been proven by several randomized trials: Ca. 75% of all clinical malaria cases could be avoided by chemoprevention programs. If malaria does occur, prevention makes the disease less severe. The decline of malaria infections but fortunately has not only for the individual benefits, but also shows in the economy: According to effective-donations.orgevery dollar spent on anti-malaria activities in African countries increases gross domestic product by $6.75, which is an extraordinarily high value.

So far, the Malaria Consortium has prevented more than 10 million cases of malaria.

Deworm the World Initiative

Worldwide, over 1.5 billion people are infected with worms. Yes, that's right. 1.5 BILLION. The main infections are the worm diseases schistosomiasis and helminthiasis. The worm larvae enter the human body via contaminated soil, plants or water. The worm infestation can cause, especially for children, severe health consequences or even lead to death.  For example, helminthiasis can lead to long-term growth disorders and anemia. Also the future of the children is endangered by the worm infestation: Due to school absences due to the disease, they can not enjoy sufficient education and earn significantly less than healthy children in adulthood - the risk of spending their entire lives in poverty increases immensely.

Effective worm treatment is very cheap. However, people living in extreme poverty lack the money even for this. With the cost-effective, school-based deworming programs Deworm the World Initiative promotes, one child can be dewormed for an entire year with just one US dollar.

This involves children taking deworming pills which reliably rid them of the parasites twice a year under supervision. Deworm The World focuses primarily on two countries: Kenya and India. Here, the average total cost per treatment ranges from $0.35 to $0.66. The organization works with government agencies and promotes not only the preparation and implementation of the programs but also the subsequent evaluation.

How deworming programs help children in the long term

Since 2014, with the help of the Deworm the World Initiative over 1 billion treatments have been administered, having positive effects on nutrition, cognitive skills, classroom participation, and long-term economic prospects. The effectiveness of deworming programs can be demonstrated by several scientifically accepted studies. As a result, the number of infected children drops dramatically; the effect is stronger the longer the pills are administered.

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

GiveDirectly

Every tenth person lives from less than 1.90 dollars a day - so in extreme poverty. Unfortunately, donations of many programs do not reach those in need directly but indirectly. Classic development cooperation projects are often influenced more by political decisions than by the actual needs of the people in need. In addition, substantial portions of the money often cover wages of employees from donor countries or administrative costs.

GiveDirectly does it differently: Here, people living in extreme poverty receive a direct money transfer on their cell phone. The sum is the equivalent of one 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, for example, to buy urgently needed food and medicine or to pay school fees. They do not have to pay back the money.

Where does the money go to?

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

You might not think it right away, but unconditional cash transfers help people - unlike many conventional aid measures - sustainably and reliably out of poverty. A whole series of scientific studies has shown that. Thus, not only do occur sustained improvements in areas such as education, health, and saving rates but also positive effects on the physical and psychological well-being of recipients. The concern that the money is spent on alcohol or drugs, by the way, is - as studies show again and again - unfounded.

Money transfers are among the best evaluated approaches to development assistance. Since its beginning, GiveDirectly attaches a great importance to the fact that the projects are scientifically accompanied and carefully evaluated. The organization is also very transparent and cost effective.

In 2018, GiveDirectly donated nearly 60 million dollars directly to extremely poor People.