Hotel Hope wrapped in love by 67 Blankets for Mandela

Knitters across the land create exquisite blankets that are donated to worthwhile causes by founder Carolyn Steyn.

November 13, 2023

Emily Wellman Bain 1 minute read

These blankets have found a home that their knitters would be proud to have helped. Photo: Emily Wellman Bain

Media personality and actress Carolyn Steyn, who founded 67 Blankets for Mandela, personally dropped off hand-knitted blankets to Hotel Hope for use by the abandoned and orphaned children cared for by the non-profit.

Non-profit Hotel Hope has several houses in Melville and Westdene that feel more like welcoming family homes than places where our most vulnerable citizens are being given another chance at life.

Launched in 2011 by executive founder Oliver Quambusch, and now also run by CEO Sihle Mooi, Hotel Hope truly embodies the spirit of Mandela in all that they do.

Steyn said she decided to visit one of the homes after meeting Quambusch a few months ago at an event.

Children watch in awe as blankets rain down in the garden. Photo: Emily Wellman Bain

“I was totally enthralled by his description of the work that they do and wanted to assist in a small way to help.”

She describes her mother as someone who grew up in an orphanage so it is a cause close to her heart.

Steyn launched 67 Blankets in 2013. The non-profit collects handmade knitted blankets from volunteers across the country whose donations are distributed to the needy and vulnerable.

Founder of 67 Blankets Carolyn Steyn cradles a newborn baby at Hotel Hope in Melville. Photo: Emily Wellman Bain

“Hotel Hope and the countless other worthwhile organisations we donate to are the reason we do what we do. But none of this would be possible without the army of kind-hearted volunteers who make this possible. The blankets we receive are truly made with loving hands across the length and breadth of South Africa,” says Steyn.