Frequently asked questions
- Why is Oxfam encouraging supporters to knit squares for a giant blanket?
- How will the blanket be used?
- What will happen to the blanket after the hand in to Government?
- Why doesn't Oxfam send blankets or other knitted products overseas?
- How will Oxfam let knitters know what happens after the hand in?
Why is Oxfam encouraging supporters to knit squares for a giant blanket?
Each square of the blanket will represent a pregnant woman who would have survived to care for her baby, if she had received the medical care she needed.
Every minute, a woman with no medical care dies in pregnancy or childbirth. Millions of mums in poor countries get low-quality health care, or are forced to go without it altogether.
High fees, a shortage of hospitals and clinics, and not enough doctors and midwives means women struggle to get the medical care they need.
All too often mothers don’t survive to look after their babies.
In Africa and South East Asia pregnancy and childbirth represents the biggest cause of death amongst women of childbearing age.
In Niger, a woman faces a 1 in 7 chance of dying in pregnancy or childbirth.
This travesty can be avoided by making sure women have the medical services they need.
The finished blanket will demonstrate how much the British public cares about the lives of mothers around the world, and how rich countries, like the UK, have a responsibility to use aid money to help improve health care for the world’s poorest people.
How will the blanket be used?
Oxfam will present the giant blanket to the UK Government ahead of an important meeting in September, where world leaders will discuss progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - aimed at halving world poverty by 2015. The fifth MDG is to reduce the number of women who die in childbirth.
The blanket will represent a demand to global leaders to act now to ensure that all women have access to free basic healthcare.
What will happen to the blanket after the hand in to Government?
After being presented to the UK Government, the giant blanket will be dismantled into smaller blankets. Most of these will be sold at Oxfam shops and festivals to raise money for Oxfam’s work – so your knitted squares will keep helping Oxfam to fight poverty in the world’s poorest countries.
Some of the blankets will also be used in constituencies or by groups of knitters, to keep the pressure on decision makers in their local area.
Some groups are discussing using their squares as part of their ongoing campaigning.
Why doesn’t Oxfam send blankets or other knitted products overseas?
Sending blankets and clothing overseas is very expensive, and Oxfam has a responsibility to use the money it receives in the most effective way possible.
Oxfam, like many other charities, does not send clothes abroad as there are strict Customs and Excise regulations in place. Clothes being sent abroad have to be fumigated and this can be costly.
Added to this are the costs of transporting the goods from where they are donated to where they will be needed.
It is much easier to source the goods from the countries where they are needed. This has many advantages as it reduces the cost to Oxfam, it helps stimulate local markets and economies and we can also be sure that the goods that we source are appropriate - both for the local environment and the local culture.
There are many local initiatives in poor countries where women knit or make clothes, and Oxfam tries to support them by buying their products and distributing them through its programmes.
This ensures women can learn new skills, earn an income and support their families, buy crops, send their children to school, and to get any healthcare needed.
To make sure the finished baby blanket is put to good use after the hand in to Government; it will be made into smaller blankets to be sold to raise funds for Oxfam’s work in poor countries.
So the great thing about knitting a square is that you will be doing two actions in one: your square, as part of the giant blanket, will play a vital role in our Health Care for All campaign, and will also raise money.
How will Oxfam let knitters know what happens after the hand in?
When people knit squares they should send their, name, address and email address and we will contact them to invite them to the hand-in, update them on the results of the action, thank them for taking part and direct them to future campaigning activities.
Get your needles clicking: knit a square for our giant petition
