Student reflections about Knitting for Hamlin
At Hamlin Fistula hospital in Ethiopia, every patient receives medical help and they are given a hand-knitted cosy colourful blanket as part of their care package. These blankets are part of a comfort package designed to bring warmth, comfort, and hope to women who have just gone through a devastating childbirth experience. These blankets represent “you’re not alone”.
This message was what actually inspired me to sign up and be involved. I didn’t join for recognition or reward, I just wanted to contribute and remain humble. I joined because I wanted to make a meaningful experience, one that would affect people globally. Seeing that many women struggle, I believe that something as simple as a warm blanket knitted just for them, can make someone feel like they are being cared for.
Knowing that my effort and my time could bring a little bit of comfort and care to someone during a hard time, is all the motivation I needed.
Taking part in this program was not just about knitting a square, it was about making a real difference to other people’s lives.
No matter if you are an expert knitter or a beginner, I’d definitely encourage you to give it a try. It’s great to feel like you are connecting and supporting people globally and making a positive impact on others.
Andy Na (Year 8)
We were introduced to this service opportunity run by the Miller Library staff in school notices. Knowing it would be valuable – and having finger-knitted before – I headed to the Library to start. I didn’t expect it to be so addictive, but after knitting my first square, I was hooked.
Within the first few weeks, I had already become invested in increasing the number of square knitted next to my name on the leaderboard. At first it felt like a competition—everyone racing for the highest count—but by my fifth square, I realised I should be helping and assisting others instead.
I quickly encouraged many other students in my class to hop onboard this project. At the beginning, I only had one other dedicated student join me, yet within a week or two, I had not only my four closest friends knitting, but five other students from my class too. From here, I shared ideas to these students to refine their skills and increase their speed, as I was on my tenth square at this point.
One of these students – Sam Hobart, is now on his 17th square!
Within the past few weeks, I have been learning how to knit a faster and more complicated style, called continental knitting, mainly to challenge myself, but also to fully understand the art of knitting.
Beau Leon (Year 7)
