Wool-Aid is very pleased to announce that we are once again partnering with the Lamia Afghan Foundation to send warm woolen clothing and blankets to children in Afghanistan!

The Lamia Afghan Foundation is operated by retired Lt. Gen. John Bradley and his wife, Jan Bradley, who work with the Denton/USAID program to transport the Lamia Afghan Foundation’s relief aid on military aircraft. (A May 2015 article about the Bradleys and their work in Afghanistan can be found here.) Wool-Aid shipments will most likely be combined with relief shipments from other organizations that are providing food, clothing, and other aid.

We anticipate that Wool-Aid items will be distributed to children in orphanages and other institutions, where wool clothing and blankets are likely to be well cared for and passed down from one child to another, each item thus warming multiple children.

All of our Wool-Aid focus items—hats, socks, sweaters, vests, mittens, and blankets—are being requested for the children of Afghanistan, and we are being asked to send items especially for children who are ages 5 through 12. This includes child-sized blankets, as well as baby blankets.

Here is a picture from one of our early shipments to Afghanistan:

The Lamia Afghan Foundation has a primary distribution of aid in October/November, so that the children will have warm clothing before the harsh winter. However, if the opportunity to send a shipment comes up earlier in the year, we will certainly take advantage of sending what we can at that time. The Lamia Afghan Foundation has access to secure storage facilities in Kabul where items can be sorted and held for winter distribution.

From 2012 through 2014, Wool-Aid sent more than 4000 items to children in Afghanistan through the Lamia Afghan Foundation. It was only because the Denton program temporarily suspended approval for airlifting their relief aid to Kabul that we were unable to send our Wool-Aid items to Afghanistan in 2015. We are thrilled that this opportunity to help has opened up for 2016!

In 2016, Wool-Aid is supporting children in several countries around the world, partnering with a wonderful group of recipient organizations who have staff and volunteers on the ground in each location, working to get our aid to the children who need it most.

Your lovingly crafted hats, socks, sweaters, vests, mittens, and blankets will be sent to help …

… children in Nepal who are living in temporary or substandard housing after the devastating earthquake earlier this year. Warm clothing is distributed to children of all ages by a monastery in Kathmandu.

… young monks in Nepal and India who have come to their monastery to study and train, often sent by their families as a way to keep them fed. The children range in age from four to sixteen. Appropriate colors for clothing for the young monks are red, maroon, brown, tan, and gold.

… children in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, through the Dulaan Project. Many of these children live in orphanages; others are homeless and living on the streets. Wool-Aid clothing is sent in a wide range of sizes to support these children and keep them warm.

… children within Syria who have been displaced by the conflict in their own country. Wool-Aid is focused on children 9 to 12 years old, sending warm woolen hats, mittens, and vests to keep them warm. Wool-Aid items for other age groups, including clothing and blankets for infants and toddlers, will also be sent for distribution. We are working with Syria Relief, which provides care and support to these vulnerable children in hopes of curbing mass migration to refugee camps outside their own country.

… children in Afghanistan who live in orphanages in and around Kabul, or in refugee camps there. Wool-Aid is sending warm woolen clothing and blankets to keep them warm. All of our focus items are needed in Afghanistan, especially for children 5 to 12 years old. We are working with the Lamia Afghan Foundation, which has airlifted millions of tons of relief aid to people in Afghanistan since 2010.

As the last shipments of 2015 begin their journey to children in remote corners of the world, it’s a good time to reflect on what our Wool-Aid community has given to children this year.

Wool-Aid shipments in 2015 contained 7167 items:

722 sweaters

466 vests

1330 pairs of socks

3814 hats

722 pairs of mittens

113 blankets

Wool-Aid has sent these thousands of items around the world to help keep children warm in these places:

Alaska — 225 items

India — 232 items

Jordan and Lebanon — 774 items

Kazakhstan — 96 items

Mongolia — 2912 items

Nepal — 1236 items

Syria — 1692 items

Thank you for being a part of this!

Many of you have donated warm, wool handknit/crocheted items, and you and your family and friends have supported our shipping fund with financial contributions. Every contribution is appreciated, and every contribution makes a difference to a cold child somewhere in the world.

For the sake of the children, please consider making a tax-deductible year-end gift to support this important work. Your donation will help Wool-Aid provide the gift of warmth to children living in extremely cold environments who have the least access to resources.

Let us join together to conclude 2015 with a message of hope and ensure that 2016 continues to bring warmth to the children that Wool-Aid serves.

Thank you for your support, and Happy New Year!