OSM @ Woza Moya
In November 2009, OSM visited Woza Moya, an HIV/AIDs resource centre in rural South Africa. Underemployed women were invited to learn the craft of sock monkey, with the long-term goal of creating an alternative source of income. OSM sponsorship dollars and the generous fund-raising contributions of Operatives like Georgia Dietz and Sandra Reford help to buy the supplies, transportation and snacks for the project.
Over the past 2 years, the project has had amazing success, including the creation of retail partnerships with South African craft collectives such as Heartworks in Cape Town and Groundcover in the Natal Midlands, both of whom had a waiting list for Woza Moya sock monkeys over the holiday season.
This group also supplies sock monkeys to the OSM sponsorship program in partnership with Clowns Without Borders South Africa.
During the 2010 World Cup, Woza Moya Operatives created special edition World Cup Soccer-sock monkeys made of football socks with hand-knitted football scarves in South African colours.
Huge thanks to Sue Pooler and Glynnis Shewan who facilitate the project, to Joviita da Silva and Angie Buckland for the photos and to the extraordinary Sue Hedden , the Director of Woza Moya.
