Rallying a nation to knit
HOUGHTON - Voted campaign of the year last year, 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela is an internationally-recognised campaign and The Hadassah Centre for Women will be contributing towards its great success to be marked on 21 April.
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The Hadassah Centre for Women’s Come Back Mission (CBM) has been involved in out-patient substance abuse treatment, counselling, and women’s empowerment programmes in the community for over five years.
CBM purchased a farm in De Deur, Meyerton, which, ironically, was used to manufacture drugs.
This farm is now a setting to help women fight drug use and also to combat the issues that have arisen from poverty and violence.
Liesl Laurie, the current Miss South Africa, supports various initiatives and will also be at the centre as an ambassador for change, speaking to the women on achieving their goals, dreams, drug abuse and changing one’s life for the better.
Knitting, crocheting and doing something good for others has become a socially-cohesive thread in South African society. Men, women, children, schools, groups, individuals and the glamorous are coming together to spread the beautiful message of ‘goodwool’ in loving memory of the late President Nelson Mandela to prove that anything is possible if you believe.
The women of the centre will be putting forward their blankets on 21 April, in celebration of the 21st anniversary of democracy in South Africa.
The aim is to rally the nation to knit or crochet and donate thousands of blankets to the 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela campaign.
These blankets will be spread across the vast lawns at the Union Buildings, at the feet of the great Nelson Mandela statue that guards our democracy and the rainbow nation, and will thereafter be donated to those in need of warmth this winter.