Paul O'Grady urges millions to get involved with Save the Children
TV presenter Paul O'Grady recently saw first hand what life is like for children in Free State, South Africa, where one in three children don't have enough to eat and one in five children don't go to school
Friday 11 April 2008
When he got back to the UK, Paul showed his fans a film of his trip and urged everyone watching his show to get involved with Save the Children's work by knitting hats for vulnerable babies - and the results have been staggering.
During the first 14 days Save the Children has received over 20,000 life-saving bonnets - that's over 89 hats knitted every waking hour - and most importantly, 20,000 more babies will now have a much better chance of surviving the first few months of life.
A woolly hat can mean the difference between life and death for a newborn baby as they can't regulate their own body temperature. It takes just 2 minutes for a wet, newborn baby to lose a dangerous 2°C in body temperature - making them prone to catching one of the big killer diseases, pneumonia. In contrast, it takes just one hour for an average knitter to make a small bonnet and save a baby's life. Over 1 million babies don't survive beyond their first day of life.
Paul O'Grady will be talking about the knitted hats on his show on Friday 11th April. The hats have been knitted by people from all across the UK.
Paul O'Grady with Matsoleolo (left), 17, who has looked after her four brothers since their parents passed away. Per-Anders Pettersson/Reportage by Getty Images for Save the Children
Knitting to save children's lives
To build the pressure on politicians, campaigning knitters filled in a card with a message which Save the Children will send to Gordon Brown asking him to prioritise saving children's lives. There are thousands of messages to Gordon Brown from caring knitters. Here are some of them:
- "I don't have much money but I can knit so I made a hat. Just think what you could do to help." Susan from Derbyshire
- "Every little baby born, no matter what nationality, deserves to be warm." Barbara from Berkshire
- "Paul O'Grady's show on Channel 4 really brought it home to me how bad the conditions out in Africa really are. I have knitted 16 hats. I feel I have really helped someone." Margaret from Lincoln
- "I feel too many children all over the world don't get a chance to live their lives into old age. And all because they need the basics that we all take for granted." Edna from Argyll
- "If I, on my very limited budget, can save a life for pennies, how many more lives can you and the Government save? So come on Gordon, how about it? Stick your hand in your pocket and let's stop this carnage." Christina from Leeds
Paul O'Grady said: "Thank you everyone who has got stuck in and has knitted a hat. When I was out in South Africa with Save the Children I saw hundreds of children who's lives desperately needed saving - so let's do it - let's knit even more hats - I'm talking fifty/a hundred/a hundred and fifty thousand - the sky's the limit!"
Download the knit kit, complete the label inside and pin it to your hat.
Send your hat and message to:
Save the Children
1 St John's Lane
London EC1M 4AR
Save the Children's Wish List
On Friday 11th April Paul will be showing the second instalment of the film about his trip and will be talking about other ways everyone can help.
"Save the Children's Wish List is a range of gifts that you can buy for children worldwide. When you buy a gift from the Wish List items below, Save the Children will ensure that the gift will get to a child that needs it the most," said Paul. Gifts that the children I met in South Africa really need are as follows:
- Supply of seeds costs just £11. Supplying poor families with food can make all the difference when times are tough, but at some point they'll need to be able to provide for themselves. If we supply them with seeds to plant vegetables, they'll be able to start growing their own food.
- School uniforms. Buying a school uniform for a child costs just £18. It's not something that you may think of, but in many countries not having a uniform means children are not allowed to go to school. For such a simple reason, it seems awful that children are missing out on the chance of an education and the excitement of making friends with children their own age. You can kit a child out with the clothes they need to get back to school.
Paul O'Grady talks to Tatu (left), 12, and his three brothers at Mangaung School in Qwa Qwa. Per-Anders Pettersson/Reportage by Getty Images for Save the Children
Watch Save the Children on the Paul O Grady show on Friday 11th April 5-6pm.
