Blanket campaign spreads the love
Enkhokhokhweni Primary School has joined the 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day campaign. Teachers, parents and a few learners joined forces and sewed the targeted 67 blankets in honour of Madiba.
ZWELISHA – Enkhokhokhweni Primary School has joined the 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day campaign. Teachers, parents and a few learners joined forces and sewed the targeted 67 blankets in honour of Madiba.
Last week the finishing touches were done. on the blankets. These would be transported to the Union Buildings in Tshwane from where they would be distributed to orphanages on July 18, Nelson Mandela Day.
Principal, Ms Duduzile Madonsela, said some would be donated to their orphaned pupils.
“We have more than 100 learners who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and they will now also stand to benefit.
After all, we participated in this programme for a noble cause,” she said. She said they would love to continue with this programme but only if they secured a sponsor to help with the materials needed to knit a blanket.
“Stitch by stitch we will be keeping thousands of people around the world warm this winter in the name of our beloved Nelson Mandela. His legacy lives on in each blanket we produce with our own two hands.”
In 2013, Ms Zelda la Grange, Nelson Mandela’s trusted assistant, presented philanthropist, Ms Carolyn Steyn, with a challenge. To knit, sew or crochet 67 blankets.
Steyn gladly accepted La Grange’s challenge but soon realised that she wouldn’t be able to achieve it alone.
She called on her friends for help and started a Facebook page. Her friends shared the page with their friends, who shared it with theirs.
In just a few weeks hundreds of people from around the world had pledged to knit a blanket for Nelson Mandela Day.
Since then, 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day had transformed into what some were calling a movement, one which had captured the attention of many South African celebrities, as well as corporates and do-gooders in Australia, Canada, Germany, Cyprus, London, the US and India.
The only requirement to be part of this was that the single-bed sized blanket or baby blanket had to be handmade, no store-bought blankets would be accepted.
Most importantly, those who pledged to make a blanket should keep their promise and complete the blanket or blankets.
