Make a difference knitting for charity

CLICK HERE FOR BACK ISSUES OF THE SQUARE CIRCLE EZINE

Would you like to know if your crochet and knitting for charity is making a difference to children in Africa, made vulnerable or orphaned as a result of the twin perils, HIV/AIDS and poverty?

Heart to hand:
The circle makes the squares. The squares make the circle.

Come on the journey with us. Our free Square Circle ezine brings those stories to you as the squares arrive in Africa, are made up into blankets and distributed to the children.

Our volunteers take photographs wherever they have distributed: the little ones of the Zeverfontein creches, the children of Moletsane and Phiri Parishes, the orphans who live with Mama Pat at Mother of Peace, the children in the shack settlements of White River and Protea South, Soweto and the children and teenagers of Diepsloot Shack Settlement, Gauteng.

Each of these with stories to inspire you, even if they make you cry. Read them all in the back issues of Square Circle and in the regular updates by subscribing in the box in the top left hand corner.

Our goal for 2013 is to reach 350,000 knitted or crocheted squares representing 10,000 blankets, 10,000 hats and 5,000 garments in 2013. That will take us up to 1 million squares total. It is still only a drop in the ocean.

There are an estimated 1.9 million orphans in South Africa alone, up from 1.4 million when we launched KasCare in 2008.

More than 500 children a day are orphaned, losing their parents to a combination of poverty and HIV AIDS. This is a vast, and mostly hidden tragedy, unfolding in our time.

KasCare’s Knit-a-square crochet and knitting project is your chance to make a meaningful contribution to the wonderful charity work so many other organisations are making.

Our first ezine showed that you can knit anywhere, anytime. Following issues started to count the rate the squares were arriving, worked through various teething problems relating to yarn weights and postage. Issue 6 described the very wonderful occasion in which Jamey received the first blanket. There is a video of this on the home page. Since then we continue to detail not only each distribution, but the incredible work you do and send to make these blankets.

There is also news of the challenges set in the forum, the initialed squares for the children of Ten Thousand Homes, the cot blankets for abandoned babies and the felted blankets for the Hill Kids living alone and unsheltered in the Bez Valley.

We invite you to contribute to our body of knowledge as the knit-a-square community grows. And if you need help you can find information in the FAQS and an answer to any question in our friendly KAS community forum. The goal is to get school children knitting and women who have never knitted before. And men of course, who started this whole knitting business, so they should knit squares too!

Plus we will be adding free knitting patterns and crochet patterns, knitting tips and knitting products on a regular basis.

During the second world war, the knitters of the world were united in their efforts to knit for the displaced children of Europe and the soldiers on the front. We need to garner that same effort for these millions of children.

An 8"/20cm square takes little effort and costs even less, so please join our army of knitters and crocheters and take part in this crochet and knitting project.

Thank you all for helping to make this knitting project a reality for the orphans and poor children of Africa. Click here for knitting and sending instructions.