Knitting Helps People Stay in their Homes

Knitting is helping those living in remote parts of the world with little or no income

Knitting is so amazing, it not only helps those who do it, but also can help people to stay in their homes. In the Philippines, there is a little village where the Ifugao indigenous people live on terraced mountains and grow rice fields. Unfortunately, recently, the crops have not been enough to sustain an income for these farmers, let alone to provide food enough for their family to eat. Many of these people have had to abandon their land to find provision for their families. Imagine how hard that would be to do, leaving everyone and everything you have ever known to go in search of food and income for your family. These Ifugao people have been rice farmers here for an estimated 2,000 years. Their legacy is strong, but it is at risk of dying.

The Solution

This is where knitting comes in. A project called the Ricefield Collective was started by someone who saw the problem, and wasn’t afraid to find a solution. She decided to teach these women how to knit, in hopes they could at least sell hats to local tourists for some income. She spent 6 weeks with one lady, Jean, and taught her what she needed to know. But selling hats in the local village wasn’t enough. They needed to sell further afield to bring in the kind of income that would allow them to stay on their land. And so the Ricefield Collective started a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds, and raise awareness.

They are now currently past their initial goal of $24,600, but are now trying to get to $85,000 so that they can establish a permanent base in Ifugao, and every $5,000 beyond that gives them the ability to employ one more woman for a year. You can purchase the hats these women make on the Kickstarter website: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1597899565/ricefield-collective-knit-4-life.

Knitting may have saved the livelihood of this village, and these people. And it continues everyday, in so many ways, to change people’s lives for good.

What about you?

What is your favorite thing about knitting? How has it helped you or someone you know to have a better life?

Well, that’s all for now. I hope you smile while you knit, knowing you’re part of something bigger!

Thanks,

Joanna

Good News and Knitting, Issue 4: How Knitting helps people stay in their homes. Find out more about this campaign here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1597899565/ricefield-collective-knit-4-life