Three years ago U2′s Bono, along with DATA chairman Bobby Shriver, founded project (RED). The concept was a novel one: Enlist major brands to release red products and donate half of the profits directly to AIDS relief in Africa. Since its inception, project (RED) has been wildly successful, with major brands from Apple to Gap joining the ranks. The story stateside has been widely positive: To date, (RED) has raised more than 130 million dollars for AIDS relief. But, the Sunday Times tells a different tale: While (RED) is helping to relieve AIDS in parts of Africa, the project is worsening living conditions in other regions. As is the case in Lesotho, a landlocked country completely surrounded by South Africa.

This past weekend, the Sunday Times reported that suppliers for Gap and Levi are dumping massive amounts of waste— including toxic chemicals, needles, and razors—into unsecured municipal sites. Worse yet, hundreds of children in the poverty-stricken country make their living rummaging through the trash, searching for bits of scraps to sell. Among the refuse dumped at this particular site are bags of toxic chemicals, which the children used as sacs for their scraps. One child told the Times reporter:

We itch all day and some of the sacks used to dispose the chemicals have powder that makes our hands and arms burn. One girl rubbed it in her eyes last month and started screaming. Sometimes we get rashes.

The overwhelming amount of refuse in these dumping sites necessitates that piles of scraps be routinely set on fire to make room for new drops. The result is heavily polluted air, which the children breathe during their long work days. Several of the child workers on this site reported respiratory problems, including coughing black mucus.

Gap was notified of their suppliers’ practices and are investigating further. We’ll be watching to see what happens and post an update.