Knitting for the World; The Beanie Ladies!

Recently, the staff at Global Volunteer Network and GVN Foundation had the privilege of welcoming 10 incredible women from various parts of New Zealand to the office for morning tea. For those who don't know the definition of morning tea, (I'm American and wondered why in the world we'd pause to all drink a cup of tea together!) 'tea' is not just a mug filled with a square packet of flavor but a simple word used to describe anything from a snack to an elaborate set-up of cakes, sandwiches, crackers, cheese, muffins, etc. There is, of course, tea as well!

Our morning tea was definitely along the lines of the elaborate set-up example because these women deserved nothing less! For 3 years now, they have decided to spend hours of their free time knitting clothing and toys for children around the world. It started with beanies, the little caps children wear to keep warm. Thousands of beanies have been delivered to Nepal, Peru, Kenya, Ethiopia, India, Rwanda, Honduras and Vietnam after a need was expressed in the communities. However, these ladies did not stop there. They began to get more creative and started knitting sweaters, booties and even teddy bears for the children! They work with the support of organizations that donate yarn and generous donors who fund the cost of the supplies.

They also rely on the amazing GVN volunteers to pack a few pieces in their luggage when they go! Diwen Cao, the Programs Support Administrator for GVN communicates with New Zealand volunteers before they leave for their placement and states, "a total of 48 New Zealand volunteers have taken at least 2kg of donations throughout the world. It's a huge testament to the volunteers and their willingness to help! Some are off for 3 months or more to foreign countries and every little bit suitcase is carefully used. Diwen says, "without the team of beanie ladies, staff at GVN and volunteers, none of this is possible. I read the responses of volunteers asked to help and it's always, 'I would be happy to take a 2kg bag with me to India,' or 'what a wonderful initiative! Yes, I am definitely keen to take some.' Together we are bringing love and warmth to children in need."

While the Foundation receives donations from all over the world and GVN places eager volunteers in Africa, Asia, the Americas and New Zealand, we rarely have opportunities to meet the amazing people that contribute to who we are. These ladies are fantastic individuals who have come together because they believe they have been given a lot in life and wanted a way to give support to others. Carol Pringle, the spokeswoman for the group told us, "some of us are meeting here for the first time. We work around the country and many of us work outside of our home communicating in email or over the phone. When someone needs more wool, I send it to them. We do it because we feel fortunate for what we have been given and feel it's just the right thing to do."

We love the beanie ladies and our volunteers who have helped the hand-knit goods reach their destination (and I love the much better-take on morning tea!) and want to say thank you for keeping us inspired and motivated to continue making a difference.

Happy Holidays :)

Caitie Goddard and the GVN Foundation Team