Knit Aid is “a global movement bringing communities together and empowering refugees through craft,” founded by Shahnaz Ahmed and Karen Whitelaw. Knitting from her sofa in 2015, Shahnaz was watching coverage of the “refugee crisis” unfold on TV. As the daughter of immigrant parents, it made her think about her own background and experience compared to those who were fleeing their homes with their children in front of her. Shahnaz realized she should be knitting for them and reached out to friends on Facebook asking if they would do the same. Elsewhere in London, Karen Whitelaw was organizing knitting get-togethers with the same objective. She reached out to Shahnaz, and so Knit Aid was born. Striking a chord globally, the charity receives donations from all over the world and holds workshops for refugees and volunteers in London. Karen and Shahnaz spoke to WePresent about their organization, how it came about, and how their activism is seamlessly linked with feminism.
Stories with Knit Aid