There is something incredibly special about buying someone a gift that has been lovingly made by hand. Even more so when you know your purchase is helping to improve the life of the person who made it.
The story behind the Gogo Olive range of knitted toys is one of empowerment, purpose and joy. Handmade by Zimbabwean women (many of whom are in prison with no other way of supporting themselves or their families), buying one of these beautiful toys truly allows you to make a ‘purchase with purpose’.
We caught up with Salt Rock mom Kerry Heathcote-Hacker who is the North Coast supplier of the beautiful Gogo Olive range of knitted toys. Having grown up in the bush in Hluhluwe with her father who was an active conservationist, Kerry has a heart for Africa. When she was gifted one of the Gogo Olive toys (or shamwaris as they are called) for her baby by a cousin living in Zimbabwe, she fell in love with the range.
“I just love them and the story behind them. Each one is unique and comes with a tag with the name of the lady who made it and who will directly benefit from the sale,” she says.
Gogo Olive was started by a Scottish woman named Julie Hagan who, after spending some time working as a volunteer in Zimbabwe, came up with a sustainable way to help the many unemployed and desperate women she met there.
In 2008, she started a knitting project (which she named Gogo Olive after her grandmother) with six ex-inmates from the Mutare Remand Prison. Since then, the project has grown to now having over 60 knitters whose work is sold around the world, including right here in South Africa.
“When I first saw the Gogo Olive shamwaris I immediately thought there would be a market for them here on the North Coast,” says Kerry, who only returned to South African five years ago after living in the UK for 14 years.
While they are mostly sold online, they are also available in a few boutique stores in KZN and Clarens. Kerry sells the range exclusively through her Instagram page.
There are a variety of designs, styles and sizes available and each one is unique in its own way. There are all sorts of animals, including a wide range of African wildlife like giraffe, rhino, zebra and wild dog, as well as Scottish Highland coos (cows), foxes and even a unicorn. You can buy them in the original size, jumbo or even little finger puppets and keyrings.
“The finger puppets have actually proven to be really effective for use in therapy with kids, and so far I’ve been able to donate some to the Autism Project, and Bloom and Sugar Babes schools locally,” says Kerry.
Whether you’re looking for a beautiful baby shower gift, a toy for a young child or even a sentimental gift for an adult, every item in the Gogo Olive range is unique, beautiful and made with love.
“It’s amazing to think that just knitting a few toys can change these women’s lives so dramatically. This is a truly inspiring and sustainable initiative that brings not only financial benefits to the knitters, but also gives them the incredible sense of purpose and value that having employment brings.”
Details: @gogoolive_kzn
