From Primrose Hill To The Slums Of Brazil

Lace Front Hair LIFE is tough for women in the slum regions of Salvador in Brazil. They live in extreme poverty with domestic violence, HIV, drug abuse and a lack of clean water.Fashion may seem an unlikely escape route, but it is one charity Christian Aid are using to turn the women's lives around.Their project gathers slum women to make clothes which they model at their own fashion show then sell - boosting both their self-esteem and their income.So mother and daughter fashion dynasty Pearl and Daisy Lowe were an obvious choice to report on the women's stories.Pearl, 37, was singer with Nineties in die bands Powder and Lodger. She was one of the ultra trendy Primrose Hill set and hung out with Kate Moss, Sadie Frost and Patsy Kensit.Now a designer, she has a new range of vintage dresses and is the partner of Supergrass's Danny Goffey. They live in Somerset.Daisy, 19, is her daughter to rocker Gavin Rossdale. She recently succeeded Moss as the face of Agent Provocateur lingerie and goes out with music producer Mark Ronson.Here is their exclusive diary from Brazil...DAY ONEPEARL: Daisy and I make a living out of fashion but when Christian Aid asked me to come and see this project in Brazil, we both thought it would be a great thing to do together.When I think of Brazil, I think of boob jobs. But this is different.We've come to the favelas - the slum areas of Salvador in Brazil - to see a very different fashion project.DAISY: I travelled here from the Coachella music festival in California where my boyfriend Mark Ronson was playing.To get here, I had to fly from LA, to Houston in Texas, to Sao Paulo and then here to Salvador. I was travelling for 23 hours but it was worth it. I didn't know what to expect from the slums - I flew over them on the way into the airport and I thought they almost looked beautiful.But then I went there, saw the sights and smelt the smells and I realised, up close, the reality.PEARL: The reality is shocking. Those women have to live with the fear of being robbed or shot every day but it is complicated by the fact that it is such a close-knit community.They can't report some of the men for drug dealing or violence because they might be the son or brother of one of their friends from the fashion project.We heard about one woman who had to beg for her son's life from a drug dealer who claims he owed him money.It seems the women often bear the brunt of what the men are doing. Anna (not her real name) is a good example.Her story was so heart-wrenching it was very difficult to listen to.She told me she is living with HIV. She got really upset when she talked about the future her children face.She's very tired and finds it hard to work - some days her daughter asks for food and she has nothing to give her. That was unimaginable for me.She has no support from her mother, either. She tried to get a job and work but her mother mistreated the children, another thing I couldn't believe.Her mum even ran off with her daughter's boyfriend.She had no water in the rooms where she was living, her electricity was about to be cut off and she only had one mattress for her and her kids to sleep on.Her daughter needed a bag for school and she couldn't even get her that.She was also worried about her daughter getting caught up in prostitution.It really was heartbreaking to listen to.Her story couldn't have been worse.DAY TWODAISY: Today was much more uplifting. It was the fashion show, organised by CESE, an organisation funded by Christian Aid.We walked in and saw all the women having their hair straightened. They'd even managed to get a great big chair up the stairs and hooked it up to a basin so that the women could have their hair washed there.It was busy but everyone seemed to be having such a good time.The Brazilian idea of beauty was an eye-opener. I didn't know that race was such a big issue but racism is a real problem.The girls were so beautiful as they are but they worried about how they looked.They didn't need to change themselves at all. I found that really sad.PEARL: The first thing I saw at the fashion show was Anna in the front row, smiling. It was fantastic to see her involved with something which made her feel good about herself.DAISY: Women like Anna are living in a situation which is terrible, but everyone at the show had such high spirits. They had even laid out a red carpet.PEARL: It was amazing, it really did feel like a fashion show. I don't know how they knew to put one on, but they did it really well.DAISY: The girls asked me to take part and model at the show.I was worried about getting the walk right and the girls and I had a rehearsal before the show to make sure we did it OK.Now, when I'm back doing a normal show in London or New York or wherever, I'll probably look around and think "actually, all this doesn't really matter that much".The Brazil show was literally changing the lives of the women taking part.DAY THREEPEARL: Sunday is a day of rest in Salvador.But we were told it is often the most violent day of the week, as that is when most drug deals take place.People tend to stay indoors just to be safe.Daisy and I went to the markets to get bargains and see the way they use their materials.I design from lace and the way Brazilians use their resources is amazing - especially as there are so many odds against them.DAISY: These projects give women a chance to assert their self-esteem as well as a chance to earn money.To think that just a few quid makes such a big difference really is great, it is amazing.DAY FOURDAISY: I can't believe it's time to go and, at the last minute, I buy a couple of Brazilian rain sticks - which you shake for good luck - for friends back home. I'm putting mine in my flat in New York.PEARL: I have to buy Brazil tops for my sons and something for my partner Danny, who has been looking after the kids all weekend. Last I heard, my two-year-old daughter had drawn on the walls ... I'm looking forward to telling people about the strong women I met in Salvador. I was expecting to feel really sad about the poverty here, instead, I'm leaving feeling inspired.This project is all about women coming together, counting on one another and building a community they wouldn't otherwise have. Their lives are changing and that wouldn't happen without this project.As a mother, I understood where these women were coming from.Now I realise that all mothers worry about the same things - providing for their children, surviving for their children.DAISY: I'll tell lots of people what it's like here. It puts the rest of the world in perspective - especially my 19-year-old pals moaning they've been deleted from someone's Facebook or My Space page.Hearing that, on average, there is an incident of domestic violence every 15 minutes is terrifying.PEARL: It was great to see these women doing something positive. A little project like this can make such a difference.It really is helping massively.This week is Christian Aid Week, the UK's longest running fundraising week.More than seven million people get involved in Christian Aid Week, with around 300,000 volunteers taking part in door-to-door collections using the famous Christian Aid red envelope.Donations to Christian Aid Week can be made at www.caweek.org or by calling 08080 005 0 05.'I was expecting to feel sad, but I am leaving feeling inspired'