Here’s One Way You Can Help Refugee Families through Knitting

If your heart aches for refugees, let Hats and More for Refugees Worldwide help you get your charity knitting to where it is most needed

For years, the plight of refugees around the world has hurt my heart. I cannot imagine fleeing from the country I grew up in because war and/or political unrest have made my home too dangerous to live in.

Equally, I cannot imagine throwing myself upon the mercy of strangers, hoping to be given sanctuary.

This is exactly what so many people in war-torn (or gang-ridden, or drug-overrun) nations around the world face. There may never have been a time in history when so many people have tried to escape the brutality of their home nations and attempted to find a place to be safe with their families.

That’s why I am so happy that organizations like Hats and More for Refugees Worldwide exist.

Hats and More for Refugees Worldwide: Reaching out to Provide Warmth, Comfort, and Hope to Refugees

This group has long worked closely with the Salaam Cultural Museum (SCM) Medical Missions. The organization focuses specifically on providing relief and aid to people caught in crisis in the Middle East and the North Africa region.

Unfortunately, SCM is no longer able to accept material donations indiscriminately, as they do not have reliable container shipping. The organization does have specific requests from time to time that Hats and More is happy to help with.

Fortunately, Hats and More now also works to support Lifting Hands International (LHI). This organization offers aid to refugees around the world, including at the Mexican/US border. LHI does accept material donations year-round, and they send container shipments to refugee populations several times a year.

SCM is based in Washington and LHI in Utah, but nearly anyone in the world can offer their knitting assistance to refugees! This is because Hats and More for Refugees Worldwide partners with other organizations in the UK and Australia. (All of the organizations mentioned in this post are linked to on the front page of Hats and More for Refugees Worldwide’s Ravelry group.)

In Australia:

• Aussies Knitting for War-Affected Kids
• Australian Crafters’ Aid Network

In the UK:

• Knit for Peace
• Knit for Syria: Hand in Hand for Syria

Hats and More once collected only hats, but as its current name testifies, today they collect far more! Some of the donations they gratefully accept and distribute to refugees includes the following:

• Sweaters
• Socks
• Blankets
• Quilts
• Vests
• Mittens
• …and more

All of these items can be knitted, crocheted, or sewn. They can even be store-purchased, which is a great way to get non-crafting friends involved!

Remember how often refugees are forced to flee with only the clothing on their backs, and you’ll understand just how much folks in such dire conditions appreciate any sort of kindness in the form of handmade warmth.

For more opportunities to help refugees, take a look at these articles.

How You Can Help

Of course, one way you can help should be obvious: Make anything that will help keep folks warm during cold months!

If you love to knit and/or crochet and/or sew, Hats and More for Refugees Worldwide will be delighted to help you find the right place to send your creations. You’ll want to take a look at the guidelines, which you can find on their Ravelry page here.

(For instance, wool is highly, highly recommended, for both warmth and durability.)

This is where you will also be able to find shipping addresses for their partner organizations.

If you’re ready to jump in and help, all the information you need is available on the Ravelry Group page. (You’ll need to be a member of Ravelry in order to join in, but joining Ravelry is free and very easy.)

Be sure to spread the word! Not only will your donations help keep a family warm, but you can also boost the morale of lives who have witnessed many horrors and have lost almost everything. Men, women, and children in desperate situations really need to know they are loved and cared for.

If your heart aches for these lovely lives torn apart by war and unrest, this is the perfect opportunity to touch and improve lives through charity knitting!