Krochet+Kids+International+Group+6

** “buy a hat, save a life” ** ** Crocheting Out ** ** of Poverty ** ** Jen Granara--Montrielle Hayes--Tamar Lifton--Shangru Liu **
 * KKI **** : ** ** Krochet Kids ** ** International **

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** INTRODUCTION: ** ** by Shangru Liu **

Krochet Kids International (KKI) is a non-profit headwear company, which is established by three young men from Spokane: Kohl Crecelius, Travis Hartanov and Stewart Ramsey. They decided to start crocheting as hobby, and decided to create their own unique headwear. From there, they decided to find the inspiration by traveling around the world. After traveling to several developing countries, they were inspired to reach out in love and to make a difference, especially when Stewart reached Uganda. In Uganda, he found that the citizens rely heavily on their government because rebel armies had torn the northern country apart. Thus, these three young men decided to develop their plan over Uganda. Krochet Kids International teaches the Ugandan women how to crochet so that they can earn a wage to be independent and support their family. Now, KKI has already led many people in northern Uganda escape poverty. From this, they started the motto, “buy a hat, change a life," that encouraged them to constantly deepen their love for helping more people in the world. KKI has constructed future plans for an operation that could help end poverty. First, for the Ugandan people, they are planning to build an educational program for helping Ugandan people to learn how to budget with a finance program (Laura Clair, 2008). Moreover, KKI is trying to help other developing areas, not just Uganda. The founders of KKI know that there is a lot of work ahead of them, but they are still driven. For more information, please visit on their official website: []

** ISSUE: ** ** by Jen Granara **

Krochet Kids International is a company that started in a city called Spokane that is saving lives with one beanie at a time. These beanie hats are handmade by Uganda women and are sold in the United States, and the proceeds are invested back into Uganda. After college, one of the owners of KKI named Stewart Ramsey visited Uganda in 2006, where he met people of citizens in Uganda that depended on the government and aid organizations to provide for themselves and their families. After Ramsey saw this, he decided to bring friends, including the other two owners, Kohl Crecelius and Travis Hartanov, to Uganda. Once there, they taught the poor Ugandan citizens how to crochet hats so they can earn more money, restore their dignity, and to finally take control of their own lives. It was the best idea the men had that only required yarn and a hook. The issue of the struggling families in Uganda has not ended, but KKl have a cause for helping them by showing there are more ways that can be developed in keeping you and your families safe and secure. KKI is doing so well that it is now expanding into Peru, and is helping the poverty that is happening there today. In Peru, people move from rural areas into the city of Lima just to find work since jobs are scarce. Most people are unsuccessful with finding a job anywhere since opportunities are not provided for the uneducated people. This whole idea is to bring people together to crochet hats to rise above the poverty that is happening in their lives. The idea of the maker’s handwritten name on each hat is for the person who bought the hat. They could go on KKI’s website and find that specific person’s name and read their life story and even write them a thank-you letter for crocheting. With KKI’s motto, “Buy a hat, change a life,” it makes it surreal for the makers’ of KKI’s hats. Once they open up the thank-you letters, their faces light up so bright and a huge smile shines on their faces. Nothing gets better than that.



** METHODS: ** ** by Montrielle Hayes **

Krochet Kids International (KKI) has one special goal, and that is to take families out of poverty. According to their official webpage, “[they] are pioneering a movement to make humanitarian aid completely and definitely obsolete.” Their method of doing this is by following a unique model, “empowering the women of Northern Uganda with assets, skills, and knowledge,” teaching them how to crochet hats and sale them, helping them to earn an income in hopes to finally lift themselves and their families out of poverty (KKI). KKI seeks for change in the world, and they are taking the necessarily steps from country to country to make a better world.



The first part of the model is to provide the women with a job and thoroughly train them on how to crochet hats. That way, the women will be able to meet the needs necessarily to support their families. Secondly, they are educated so that “they develop beyond the need of outside aid,” such as food, water, and clothing (KKI). Lastly, providing mentorship to help the women plan their future plans that they can follow through with so that they will sustain a better life and not go back to the dark times they had to endure for so long.

** RESULTS: **  ** by Shangru Liu **

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Krochet Kids International has already increased the living quality of Ugandan women dramatically. First, KKI provides a crocheting teaching program for them. Then those who pass the program can get the job and earn good income for their families. Today, the Ugandan women who get the job opportunity are able to meet the immediate needs of their families: clothing their children, sending them to school, and feeding everyone in their household. KKI also helps Ugandan women to pursue their education savings, future planning and their own personal ventures toward economic stability. Now, some of the women who experienced the program either opened their own business, or achieved their dream job through entering school for studying. Furthermore, KKI pays attention on helping the Ugandan women who have cancer or other serious illness. For instance, KKI provided an opportunity for Alice to participate the program. After Alice passed the teaching program of KKI, she got a job with good income. With the goodness of her heart, she used her income to purchase anti-retroviral medication to combat her HIV (Anna Langer, 2009). KKI continues to spread their love to other nations. This year, KKI cooperated with One Day's Wages for helping provide the initial start-up costs for a brand new project in Lima, Peru. KKI and ODW have calculated that with $21,000, they would be able to provide the wages and workshop space for a group of 10 vulnerable women. According to ODW, “The funding of this project will be the kick-start that launches their program in Peru into a sustainable cycle of employment and empowerment for many years to come." Based on the statistics from this year, KKI has already earned about $765,000 in hat sales, and the organization earned an additonal $200,000 in donations. The statistics predicts that by the year 2014, Krochet Kids International will have impacted 16,090 people (Kylie Wright, 2011).

** by Tamar Lifton **
Buy a Hat. Change a Life. Krochet Kids International has implemented a creative way to turn a hobby into something selflessly empowering. The overall collective effort executed by these three friends has manifested itself into a project that encourages anyone to make a difference. According to their official website, “the foundation of the organization and actions there within can be summarized in one word... LOVE. We believe actions rooted in love are able to make change in a world that truly needs it.” This organization was formed because of two passions: crochet and giving back. Their values run deeper than the hopes of gaining brand popularity. Instead, the grass roots movement seeks to prevail freedom and empowerment of those less fortunate. Publicity was seen as an opportunity for these friends to spread the word of their initiative. Regardless, they had already been on the path of volunteering in various developing countries, “hoping to gain a better understanding of the global community in which we lived" (KKI). In collaboration, Volcom, an internationally renowned apparel brand has successfully joined forces with the foundation. They had planned on partnering up with them for over a year, and now that they could finally work with them, "[they] have learned so much from [Volcom's] wealth of knowledge and experience, and [they've] been able to impart [their] understanding of [their] programs and the idea of true empowerment" (KKI).   KKI’s efforts in Uganda, they explain, is but a microcosm of what they wish will expand and “replicate throughout impoverished communities around the globe. ” -Kohl Crecelius, CEO & Co-founder

** CONCLUSION: **  ** by Granara, Hayes, Lifton, Liu ** KKI has done a lot thus far to help bring families in not only Uganda, but Peru as well, to bring them out of poverty. This non-profit organization uses something as simple as crocheting hats to make a profit for the people in need. Through this, it provided families with water, a chance to be educated, clothing, food, and employment. Additionally, as stated previously, they provide mentorship to assist women in planning their future plans to have a better life and end their suffering. KKI continues to spread their help throughout other nations, such as cooperating with ODW to help give out initial start-up costs for a new project in Lima, Peru. This has brought along great earnings and donations for the organization. Created by having two passions, crocheting and giving back to others, this extraordinary organization was able to make a change for the world. Simple and easy, all you have to do to get involved is “buy a hat, save a life.”

**REFERENCES:** Langer, A. (2009, October 8). Krochet kids international. //On Board: Global Snowboarding//. Retrieved October 27, 2011, from [] Laura, C. C. (2008, April 26). Helpers with hats. //The Spokesman-Review.// Abstract retrieved October 27, 2011, from [] //One Day’s Wages.// (2011). Partner project: Krochet kids (Peru). Retrieved October 27, 2011, from [] Wright, K. (2011, October 12). Buy a hat, change a life. // The Cougar Print. // Retrieved October 26, 2011, from [] Zuraw, L. (2011, October 12). Krochet Krusade. //Inlander//. Retrieved October 28, 2011, from []