Clothing donations bypass the needy; African industries hurt as dealers profit.(WORLD)(BRIEFING: AFRICA)

Byline: Marion Baillot, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Every year, people in wealthy countries donate mountains of unwanted clothes to charity groups, convinced the garments will go directly to the poor.

In fact, only a fraction of the clothes many charities collect are given to the needy. Most are sold to dealers of used clothing and exported to developing countries, especially Africa, where they sell at market prices, depressing local textile industries.

"There is no charity when it comes to the trade in used clothing. This is a lucrative business. In the market stalls of most African countries, castoffs donated to charity command prices about 2,000 percent over what the wholesalers pay for it," said Neil Kearney, general secretary of the Brussels-based International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF), during a recent telephone interview with The Washington Times.

Used-clothes dealers have turned people's generosity into a multibillion-dollar business, some exporters say.

Charities like Goodwill Industries and the Salvation Army sell donated …