Huge thank you and a request to slow down

Hey all Hotheads Knitters,
First off, thank you SO MUCH for all of your amazing contributions. Currently we are more than meeting our goal of putting beanies on the head of every baby born at Butaro Hospital. In fact, the response to this request has been so great, that we are having trouble storing and then shipping all the beanies to Africa!
I can't tell you how much it means to see people band together from thousands of miles away and chip in to take care of our patients. The needs of the communities we serve are enormous on every level, and it is heartwarming and inspiring to see such a tremendous effort come from you all.
That said, at the moment I've been asked to have you slow down the knitting efforts while we catch up - we are running out of space to store them in Boston and Rwanda, and, more problematically, the means to ship them over. As you can imagine, our shipment costs are tremendous. So for the moment let's slow down the knitting. If anyone would like to make contributions toward the shipment costs or toward any number of other important and vital efforts going into building the new hospital in Butaro, please do let us know! As you know, every little bit makes a difference.
Thank you so much for all of your help!
In solidarity,
Emily

A few comments on size

We get a lot of questions about sizes for the beanies - the short answer is that all sizes are typically helpful. Aiming for large premie sizes or small newborn sizes is probably a good guideline. The nurses in maternity recently gave me these photos as a guide. The pen is there for scale - the hats in the first photo are a bit too small for the average baby, and the pink hat in the second photo is a good estimate for the size of the average newborn at Butaro Hospital. But that's just an estimate for the average - all the sizes we are receiving are being used!

An update

Hello from Burera! I've been in Rwanda for the past few months, where a parade of warm and happy babies are emerging from the maternity ward! This project is successfully outfitting every newborn at Butaro Hospital with a homemade beanie... over 100 per month! In fact, we've begun sending some of the beanies out to the health centers. With 400,000 inhabitants and 13 health centers, the district of Burera is one of the biggest (and coldest!) in Rwanda. We are right in the thick of the cold and rainy season right now, so your efforts are invaluable in keeping these little guys warm. Here's a few photos of your work in action.

Hothead thank you

Hi everyone!

Here's a photo of the Cleveland Heights Senior Center Knitting group, busy making beanies for Burera! This group has knit many warm and adorable hats that are now keeping new babies warm in Rwanda. A huge thank you to all of you!

From Boston to Burera..

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at my dinner table... sporting beanies ready to be sent to Rwanda!

Much to give thanks for today!

Happy Thanksgiving HotHeads Knitters! There is much to give thanks for this year in Burera, Rwanda - the new hospital is undergoing quick construction, the staff is working hard to bring quality healthcare to the poor community, and... every single newborn is being outfitted with a warm beanie as they come into the world! (1 day old Alexi is posted above) More than a hundred babies a month are sporting your beanies, and we want you to know that there are many many thankful moms and dads for your hard work! As I write this in Boston, the weather outside is drizzly and cold, reminiscent of the chilly hills in Burera. No indoor heating in Burera though, and your knitting projects have been crucial to keeping these babies warm. We all want to send you a warm and heartfelt thanks this Thanksgiving for your generous and helpful contributions! Below are some of the thankful parents and little ones.

Illuminee, just 4 hours after being born, with her mom Claudine

Baby Isador

How Cute Are We??