Volunteers knit for needy children
Hundreds of winter woolies have been knitted by volunteers for underprivileged children in Ocean View.
In total, 201 jerseys, 13 scarves, 231 beanie-and-glove sets and 239 single beanies were produced after Rene Kairuz, from Glencairn, posted a Facebook appeal last year for volunteers.
The volunteers efforts were aided by Support Orphans in South Africa (Sosa), a Dutch foundation run by Ms Kairuz's son and daughter in-law, who are based in the Netherlands. Sosa donated all the knitting materials that the volunteers needed.
The knitting project started in August last year.
Some jerseys are specially made for children who have experienced trauma. These jerseys have soft, knitted toys attached to them.
On Saturday, dozens of volunteers came together at a Fish Hoek coffee shop, where they met each other for the first time and viewed a display of some of their handiwork.
Desiree Venter, from Glencairn, said, "Every stitch I knit, I knit with love... I did 151 beanies, and my sister in Oudtshoorn helped me by knitting 80 beanies with fingerless gloves."
The women, many of whom are retired, knit in their spare time.
"I did four jerseys; I'm hoping to start now for next year,“ said Brenda Hendrik, from Kommetjie. ”It's a wonderful opportunity to contribute towards this project, Rene has inspired us."
Kim Anderson-Dubs, from Fish Hoek, has completed three jerseys with a fourth on the way. "It's wonderful. It’s so exciting to be part of something so helpful, kind and creative,“ she said, adding that it took her about a week to complete a jersey.
Liane Truter, a carer for the elderly, knitted jerseys while in England. “It's absolutely wonderful. I can't wait to start knitting some more. I'd like to say that I want to do 10 jerseys next.”
Ms Kairuz said, "Every jersey tells a story; every woman has come from a different perspective. The end goal has been to create something for the community."
