Feature: Elderly Namibian women relive passion with knitting club

WINDHOEK, June 15 (Xinhua)

The wrinkled hands of a pensioner gripped a needle securely and slipped it up through the cast-on stitches before wrapping the yarn around the tip. Maryln van Zyl's face beams alight at that moment as the scarf takes shape.

Van Zyl is a member of Dingertjies (meaning small things in Afrikaans), a knitting club based in the Namibian capital of Windhoek.

One stitch at a time, a group of elderly women in Namibia knit items together to empower locals.

The youngest member is 63 years old, and the oldest is 78. Each week, 13 members of the Dingertjies gather in Windhoek and spend hours knitting various products such as scarves, socks, gloves, blankets, teddy bears, and other items for needy people.

According to van Zyl, knitting is not just a hobby for senior citizens in Namibia -- it is a way for them to make a difference in society.

"By knitting together, we are creating something beautiful for those who need it most," she said. Since establishing the club in February 2022, the group has donated 35 blankets to the Katutura Old Age Home in Windhoek and 80 gloves and bennies to the street children.

In June this year, the group donated winter items to Side-by-Side, a charity initiative providing care to people with disabilities and children with special needs.

The team also works closely with the police in providing comforting teddy bears and knitted items added to dignity kits given to sexually abused children.

"The warmth of knitted items is more than just physical material; it provides emotional and psychological comfort too," she added.

For many elderly women, through the knitting club, they are proving that everyone has something valuable to contribute no matter how old they are. Ida Gaoses, 68, joined the club last year. She had never knitted before.

"This was a challenge for me to learn something new. Not only to knit for my grandchildren but also to make a difference in society," she said.

In addition, the power of knitting lies in its ability to connect people from different backgrounds and create meaningful relationships between individuals.

"It also has positive effects and brings older adults closer to younger generations. It helps us fulfill our purpose," van Zyl added.

Their work has since drawn support from locals and corporate entities such as Agra, who provide wool from which items are knitted.

The knitting club also promotes their well-being through psychological support. "It can get lonely at times, so we come together, tell stories, and laugh while we work toward something that spreads love," said Annatjie Nell, another pensioner.

In the meantime, as Namibia joined the rest of the world to observe World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, which falls on Thursday this year, the knitting club hoped to make a lasting impact on the communities around them through their hard work and dedication.

"We will soon travel to other parts of Namibia to hand over some items. We want to reach as many people as possible countrywide," van Zyl said.