Knitting project aids African families

Saturday, September 8, 2007
DePauw University sophomore Alison Case is spearheading a program to sell hand knitted scarves to buy Malaria-preventing mosquito nets.

Alison Case is hoping to turn her hand- knit scarves into something with a slightly tighter weave.

The DePauw University sophomore is spearheading a campaign to sell scarves knitted by community members for $10 and use the proceeds to buy insecticide-treated mosquito netting for families across Africa.

The nets, which cost $10 each to make and distribute, go a long way toward helping to prevent Malaria, a leading killer of children on the continent.

"It's crazy how preventable it is, and yet it's so prevalent," Case said. "It becomes just a matter of money to solve it."

The Fort Wayne resident came up with the concept, Knitters for Nets, this summer as part of her entry for a contest sponsored by The People Speak, a Washington-based campaign that encourages young people to get involved with global issues. Case's proposal was one of 12 finalists selected among 40 entries.

The organization gave her a $500 mini-grant to get the idea off the ground and sent her to Washington for a conference about malaria prevention.

Case said the idea came to her after she learned to knit at the DePauw Women's Center last year.

"It's really fun," she said. "And young people are getting into it more and more."

One of the beauties of her idea is that physically making something gives people a sense of accomplishment and ownership of their donation.

"It's nice to have something material that can show that you put in your time," she said.

Case is still in the development stages of the idea, but she said she's planning to ask local business downtown to carry toe scarves.

She's currently looking for area knitters to make scarves. Anyone interested can contact her at alisoncase_2010@depauw.edu or come to the Women's Center's Knit Night Mondays from 7 to 8 p.m. and Wednesday from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Women's Center is located at 306 E. Hanna St.

And even though Case only has a handful of scarves completed, she said she's already gotten an order for 70.

The colors? Black and gold, of course.

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