Buried in blankets and hats

Resources are in short supply for many of the women whose births we will attend in Uganda. The hats and blankets to keep a newborn warm and well, few and far between. With this in mind, I put out a call to a handful of mama friends asking for donations of gently loved baby blankets and hats a few weeks ago. I was not prepared for the scope or beauty of what would follow.

My friends talked to their friends and on and on it went until a network of previously unconnected women criss-crossed the city. One friend collecting for us described waking many mornings to find neatly bundled baby things mysteriously dropped by strangers on her porch.

The neighbour of another friend of a friend, on hearing about our baby catching adventure, bought fabric and sewed cloths and blankets.

In under 3 weeks, hundreds of hats and blankets were collected. To these were added donations of hand-knit sweaters and toys, IV supplies, gloves, catheters, speculums, text books, medications, and money to purchase more. Maxing out every last ounce and inch of baggage space, 300 lbs of supplies came with the 6 of us. The generosity is moving and I am inspired to think what else is possible with a small group of friends...