Charity Spotlight: Knit One, Save One
Sunday August 10, 2008
A few days ago in the news I mentioned candidates and members of Parliament were talking up the Save the Children knitting campaign called Knit One, Save One, but it's such a cool program I wanted to give it some more attention.
This is a British program that accepts knit hats to protect babies in developing countries. Babies can't regulate their body temperature, and up to two million little ones die every year from pneumonia. Many of those deaths could be prevented if the babies had hats to keep them warm.
The website includes a basic pattern (in English and Welsh), instructions on how to knit, more information about the campaign and printable cards, half of which goes with the hat to let the recipient know who made it, and the other half goes to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, to explain why the knitter has joined the campaign and let him know that tiny solutions can have a big impact.
The program has received 300,000 hats, and 220,000 have already been sent to poor babies around the world. They're hoping to have 50,000 knitters take part (25,000 have so far) by the time the campaign ends on October 21.
This is a British program that accepts knit hats to protect babies in developing countries. Babies can't regulate their body temperature, and up to two million little ones die every year from pneumonia. Many of those deaths could be prevented if the babies had hats to keep them warm.
The website includes a basic pattern (in English and Welsh), instructions on how to knit, more information about the campaign and printable cards, half of which goes with the hat to let the recipient know who made it, and the other half goes to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, to explain why the knitter has joined the campaign and let him know that tiny solutions can have a big impact.
The program has received 300,000 hats, and 220,000 have already been sent to poor babies around the world. They're hoping to have 50,000 knitters take part (25,000 have so far) by the time the campaign ends on October 21.
Comments
There is a program through Warm Up America that does this same project. I and several women in my office knitted and crocheted caps for newborns. We sent in a total of 20 caps. President Bush was notified of what everyone did. It is a worthwhile project.
Knitting for Warm Up America is certainly worthwhile; notifying Bush, however, was not. He has no concept of charity nor of helping people who have less than he does.
If anyone needs patterns to participate in this there are many on my website.
Caps for the Capital generated hundreds of thousands of newborn hats to help many babies in developing countries.
If you want to help even more babies, check with your local hospitals to see if they have needs. Many of the county hospitals are in great need of hats, booties and other warm items for newborn and preemies.
I don’t know how worthwhile notifying our gov’t officials is with projects like this, since the United States of America already sends billions of $$ in aid, (approved by the President) all over the world and are always one of the first to lend a hand.
The most important thing is not to put a political slant on giving, but to search our own hearts and reach out where we can personally.
Bev