The Wisdom Wipes Story
The Wisdom Wipes Fundraising Project has evolved from a woman deciding to knit some cotton dishcloths as gifts for friends.
One of those friends was wise woman Lea Trafford. While initially a little puzzled, Lea quickly realised this was a great idea:
“this is the best dishcloth I have ever used. It does its job beautifully and can be thrown into the washing machine regularly to keep clean. I still have the original and it shows no sign of wearing out!”
So, Lea started knitting cloths to give to her friends as gifts. They loved using them too and a new product was born!
Wise Women is promoting Wisdom Wipes as a fundraising project to benefit the wonderful work of the Woman and Child Mobile Health Clinics Project in Amritsar, India.
The Project is managed by Dr Alma Ram in partnership with a local NGO called Jagriti Bhalai Kendra Society.
All profits from the sales of Wisdom Wipes are forwarded to fund the education and outreach services offered by the project to the communities in and around Amritsar.
Some colourful Wisdom Wipes ready to be shipped.
FAQ for Volunteer Knitters
A network of generous women in Australia purchase their own knitting cotton and also donate their time.
Yes! Anyone who can knit in plain (or crochet) can make Wisdom Wipes for us to sell.
Cotton
They need to be knitted (or crocheted) from 100% cotton which is the most absorbent. You can add some stripes etc in Cotton Blend, but no more than 20% of the total area is recommended for best absorbency.
Some people knit with two threads at once. This makes a thicker, more robust cloth which are quite popular.
Instructions
Cast on 50 stitches of 8ply cotton on No 5 needles and knit in plain or moss stitch until the length measures approx. 23 cm.
We have found plain or moss stitch works best, but you can add some purl rows occasionally and make a texture as you wish.
Note, too much rib pattern does not work well as the wipes will curl up at the edges which makes them annoying to use.
Our knitters like to use some different colours to create stripes or patterns. Try to keep them colourful and not all pale colours so they don’t get too grubby looking when in use.
Please sew in all the ends so they are ready to ship.
It is now over to you and your imagination!
We recommend purchasing your 8 ply, 100% cotton in 200g balls from the Bendigo Woollen Mills website.
The larger sized balls are significantly more economical than purchasing 50g balls.
Bendigo Woollen Mills
03 5442 4600
www.bendigowoollenmills.com.au
Shipping is just $5 for orders under $50 and free for orders over $50!
When you have at least 6 finished, please pack them up and send to:
Wisdom Wipes
9 Delany Close,
Canterbury VIC 3126
FAQ for Purchasers
Wisdom Wipes are for sale on this website:
www.wisewomen.com.au/product/wisdomwipes
They are also sometimes sold at community events and in person by our wonderful supporters.
A batch of people in the UK received Wisdom Wipes as Christmas gifts last year, so we are already distributing internationally!
Because these are handcrafted items and the colours and patterns are chosen by our generous knitters, we don’t know what colours are available until the latest batch arrives.
Stock is chosen at random and shipped to order, so it is a lovely surprise when you open the packet!
Yes please. We need you to pay postage costs so the maximum amount raised can go towards helping the women, children and families serviced by the project.
Wisdom Wipes are packed and shipped in pairs.
If you purchase 5 or more packs, the individual price will be discounted.
Thanks for your support!
All of the funds raised from sales (less postage and packaging costs) goes directly to support the work of the not-for-profit Woman and Child Mobile Health Clinics Project.
Managed by Dr Alma Ram, the project establishes health posts to educate, support and empower the local village women in and around Amritsar, Northern India.
The Woman and Child Mobile Health Clinics Project was established in 2012 in partnership with an NGO called Jagriti Bhalai Kendra Society in Amritsar.
A fundraising campaign was mounted to support the cause here in Australia by wise woman Helen Beeby who decided to do what she could to support the work of Dr Ram that she had personally observed when travelling in India.
The project has been running for four years now and benefits 11,000 women and 7,000 children through mobile health posts for mothers and babies in 30 poor and oppressed Dalit villages.
It is a rolling program of ante and post-natal care, nutrition, contraception, immunisation, support for HIV/AIDS patients, female empowerment and gender equality plus environmental, sanitary and health education.
Sadly, it does not receive funding from the Indian government and totally relies on the generosity of donors.
Please help us make a difference in the lives and health of thousands of Dalit (Untouchables) families in the poor rural communities of the Punjab.