NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh capital hosted a July 28 presentation of the “28 Petel” (“28 Loops”) book, which describes the volunteer activity of the club that, this year, marks 10 years since its establishment.
Author and club participant Elmira Kurmanbayeva during book presentation on July 28. Photo credit: Meloman bookstore
The book author and club participant Elmira Kurmanbayeva said that the book tells the story of volunteers who help premature babies by knitting socks, caps, plaids and blouses which they donate to all perinatal centers in the country. The woolen clothing has healing properties: it stimulates the nerve endings in children, helps regulate body temperature and foster the children’s metabolism.
The charitable community bears this name because precisely 28 stitches need to be put on the needles to knit socks for a baby weighing no more than one kilogram.
Kurmanbayeva with club’s founder Karla Nur. Photo credit: Meloman bookstore
“The purpose of writing this book is not commercial, but to attract as many people as possible into our community. I accidentally learned about this club on social networks in 2016 and decided to join it. I love reading books and knitting and today I realized that I did two things at once – I wrote a book about knitting,” said Kurmanbayeva during the event.
The club’s founder, photographer and journalist Karla Nur (Karlygash Nurzhanova), who gave an interview to The Astana Times back in 2018, also attended the presentation.
At present, there are approximately 2,500 club members in 12 countries, who knit more than 50,000 wool clothes to save the life of premature children. The club is represented in 15 cities in Kazakhstan, as well as in Russia, Latvia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine.
Up to 30 volunteers meet once or twice a month. They can make from 50 to 200 articles of clothing over a two-month period. Many participants learned to knit only after coming to the club.
In 2017, the club received the national Altyn Zhurek (Golden Heart) award for its contribution to healthcare development.
According to the official data, up to 450,000 children are born in Kazakhstan every year. Among them from 4 to 12 percent are premature children.
