Helping to Keep Premature Babies Warm
Twenty years ago my son James, who is a pediatrican, was working at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Blantyre in Malawi. Malawi is a poor country with a high infant mortality rate and resources available for looking after babies born with problems, such as babies born prematurely , are limited. One of the challenges is that premature babies, particularly, loose a lot of heat through their heads. He asked me if I could ask my knitting friends to make caps for the babies. I spoke to a friend, who was in the WI at the time, and the idea took off. By the time James left Malawi the project had provided the hospital with 639 caps! You can see from the photos how pleased the mums were with the little hats, which they could take home with them.
James is now working in Sierra Leone, another poor country, with similar problems and he has again asked if my knitting friends can help. James is visiting England for Christmas and can collect the caps then. If you would like to knit some caps James and mothers of premature babies in Sierra Leone would be incredibly grateful. If you need a pattern you can download one from this Mothers Union website http://mugloucester.org.uk/b/resourcesPatterns.html
We have been given a donation towards the cost of wool. Please contact the vestry.
There will be a box at the back of church at the end of this week where you can leave the caps. Thank you very much
