Rand Aid’s Elphin Lodge retirement village residents are knitting and donating teddies to non-profit organisation Light A Sparke, which donates them to children who are experiencing trauma and need of a ‘teddy hug’.
“Elphin Lodge reached out to our residents after seeing a Light A Sparke advert requesting people to knit teddies for children who have been in an accident or are victims of gender-based violence, to help comfort the child during the alarm phase of their trauma,” says Elphin Lodge manager Helen Petrie.
Elphin Lodge residents Jenny Sella and Deidre Krull immediately offered their support and got to work knitting teddies for the children.
“Their first batch of 11 teddies were handed over to Light A Sparke on 22 January and are already being given to children who need support,” says Helen.
“Caring gestures like these may not seem significant to many, but they make the world of difference for the children who have something to hold onto during difficult times,” she adds.
“She would come home and say, ‘Mom we need beanies as there are not enough incubators for the babies’ or ‘We have a woman who has covered herself in plastic sheeting because she’s cold, we need blankets’. The demand and requests for many different and much-needed items grew,” says Janine.
“Each time we have a request, we start an initiative. Our latest initiative is for teddies and soft toys, which can be knitted, crocheted, sewn or even bought and donated,” she adds.
Light A Sparke donates the teddies to various causes, namely:
Trauma teddies: These are given to police stations, ambulances and other organisations to give to children who have been involved in an accident or have been exposed to gender-based violence. The purpose of the teddy is to comfort the child during the alarm phase of the trauma.
Smile Foundation: Teddies are given to children who undergo reconstructive surgery for a cleft palate, and burn victims. The teddies help them with their ordeal.
CHOC: Teddies are given to CHOC patients the first time they go for chemotherapy, and they keep the children company through this tough journey.
Malnourished children: Teddies are supplied to a hospital in Upington that looks after malnourished children. The children, mostly from rural areas, are very scared when they are admitted to hospital. Sometimes they will not do anything until ‘teddy’ does it first.
Abandoned and homeless children: Teddies are also given to abandoned and homeless children, and other children in need.
“We have many initiatives on the go and as long as people keep donating, we will keep finding a loving home for them,” says Janine.
The organisation also collects beanies, booties, blankets, vests, soft toys, pre-loved clothing, drawstring care bags and dignity bags, to name a few.
If you are able to assist Elphin Lodge to knit some teddies for Light A Sparke, please contact Neeri Stroebel at Elphin Lodge at 011 882 6296 or send her an email at nstroebel@randaid.co.za.
For more information about Light A Sparke, visit https://lightasparke.co.za.
