Peace love tolerance road trip is changing lives one stitch at a time

• Published date: 21 April 2024
• Author: Wendy Jasson Da Costa
• Publication title: Sunday Tribune

The NPO, 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day, visited Durban this week as part of its countrywide Peace Love Tolerance road trip

Founder Carolyn Steyn said they spent time with the orphaned and vulnerable children from LIV village at Cottonlands, near Verulam, where they shared their blankets, all made by volunteer knitwits.

Steyn said: “I've never seen a place like this in my life.

“I've gone to lots of orphanages around the country, but this is just really quite extraordinary.

“For children who have gone through such trauma in their lives, to find themselves in this place must be so healing.

“There’s just such love and such commitment and such dedication,” Steyn said.

She said the Peace Love Tolerance road trip would visit various other places around the country.

“Every year we do something that is sort of outstanding.

“The first big activation we did was covering the grounds of the Union Buildings in a sea of blankets, thousands of blankets as far as the eye could see, with Madiba smiling down upon them.”

It all started in December 2013 when Zelda la Grange, who was Madiba’s assistant for many years, challenged Steyn to knit, sew, or crochet 67 blankets for Mandela Day.

Steyn knew she would not be able to do it on her own and asked for help on social media. The response was overwhelming and led to the establishment of 67 Blankets for Nelson...