The Anglo-Ethiopian Society
Blankets Update
Author - Adrienne Hack
The Winter 2003 edition of News File carried a plea for knitted-square-blankets for the children of Gondar who are cared for by our member Kate Fereday Eshete and the Kindu Trust.
This is the story of what has happened since.
My lovely mother was once a great knitter who churned out all manner of garments for the family. A few years ago she realised that she was getting more forgetful and finding patterns hard to follow so she made baby blankets for her grand-children's future infants - one of which is still sitting in a drawer in my house waiting for a recipient! As her health declined my mother began knitting simple squares and making them into knee rugs for her fellow nursing home residents. She was delighted when I told her about the Kindu Trust's plea and decided to start making a blanket for them. The colours were pretty and soft but the squares began to get a bit wonky as her health declined. This was the last knitting she was to do and my sister took the squares and finished off the blanket so that it looked fantastic. She also kindly made one of her own in bright splashy colours and then they both were posted off to Gondar. Kate Fereday Eshete has been wonderful in communicating her gratitude for the family's efforts and has sent photos of the recipients. My sister's blanket has been given to a 13-year-old girl called Huluager Tagegne who is already sponsored and suffers from the results of childhood polio.
My mother's blanket has been given to a 3-year-old boy, Tesfahun Asnakew, and his family. He was one of many poor children registered with Kindu Erdata (The Kindu Trust's Ethiopian partner) who was waiting for a sponsor. I'm happy to report that he has now found one as my sister, hitherto only knowing about Ethiopia through me, has offered to support him.