Before going to Kenya I would have seriously questioned why anyone there would need knitted scarves or hats. Kenya sits on the equator and we all learn in grade school that the equator is quite hot. Fast forward to this summer when I organized a team of 15 volunteers who traveled to Kenya to build playgrounds at three Kids Alive www.kidsalive.org ministry sites and many days we were wearing sweatshirts or windbreakers! Mind you, our entire team was from Michigan so we’re not wimps when it comes to cold weather. As we discovered, the combination of elevation, wind, and cloud cover can make it quite chilly there. And if the “Michiganders” were comfortable in windbreakers, the Kenyans were shivering in thick sweaters.
Needless to say, the thousand plus beautiful hand-knitted items that Knitting4Peace donated to Kids Alive, which slowly made their way to Kenya via a shipping container filled with playground equipment, were a huge blessing to so many! According to Ruth Henningham, a retired UK school teacher who oversees Advanced Education for the Kenyan orphans in Kids Alive’s care, “The knitted items sent to Kenya were very gratefully and joyously received by the children. They were very thrilled to receive the colorful hats scarves and shawls. The dolls were very delightful too and we are introducing them to the children who do not often have toys of their own. Although we do not have a very cold winter here, the weather does get cool and the wind can make it feel quite cold. The children love to wrap up warm and we had so much fun looking through the items when they were able to choose for themselves from such a generous array of gifts. Thank you so much for all the hard work that went into making the gifts and we appreciate the fact that you put your time and effort into this project.”
Kids Alive rescues orphans and vulnerable children in 14 countries worldwide and provides all the essentials every child needs and deserves including a home and loving house parents, nutritious meals, an education, healthcare and an introduction to the love of Christ.
Hopefully the smiles on these children’s faces - literally on the other side of the world - will help make your hard work with the knitting needles worth the long effort. Thanks for making a difference in Kenya for some precious kids who will do a little less shivering on those windy and cool days.
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