Operation Cover Up

Join Thousands of Kiwis Knitting Warmth and Hope for Eastern Europe. Contact us to find your local coordinator.

With every stitch you give hope!

Winter in Eastern Europe can get as low as -25°C and many children, families and the elderly have little to keep them warm in a harsh winter. 

Thanks to the great work of Liz Clarke and her team of coordinators, hundreds of Kiwis are knitting, donating wool, fundraising for shipping costs and preparing the items for shipping. 

We now send two 40ft shipping containers each year bursting with blankets and clothing as well as other items to those living in poverty or other vulnerable situations.

A hand made item means so much more, it means hope, better health, it's giving protection and warmth. Thank you!

Get Involved

Lots of help is required to make sure Operation Cover Up is a success. Here are a few ways you can help:

1. Knit

Find out about groups in your local area, where you can knit with others and where to drop off your items. The items that are most in need are; Jerseys (any size from two years up), hats, scarfs and mittens, Woollen blankets (minimum 1.6m x 1.4m), and slippers.

2. Purchase Woollen knitting yarn or donate to cover shipping costs.

Please contact your local coordinator to know where to drop off wool or any donations.

FAQs

Mission Without Borders manages the operation and is a registered charity (number CC37218). Operation Cover Up is a project operated almost entirely by volunteers. Liz Clarke is the National Coordinator. Each region or local area has its own Volunteer Coordinator who is supported by Mission Without Borders.

The knitting goes to people in Eastern Europe who can’t afford to buy blankets or other items themselves. This includes children in orphanages, families, the elderly, disabled and sick, and the homeless. All the knitting is distributed in the six countries where Mission Without Borders works: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine.

There are an unknown number throughout New Zealand. Some have a Coordinator in charge of a group of knitters and who may be the local drop off point for a wider area. There are 110 or more Coordinators. Inquiries from prospective knitters are referred to the Coordinator in their area.

Knitting and other goods for Operation Cover Up are shipped by our NZ office to our international logistics team, who then pass it to our field countries. From there they distribute it as part of their work.

It costs over $16,000 per container, including a substantial contribution towards the cross Europe component by road. It is a lot of money, but it is worth it because the things are beautifully and lovingly made and cannot be bought or afforded by those that receive them. Knitters are invited to make a small donation per blanket or item to help with shipping costs.

Local areas accumulate the knitting and other donated items. All donated items are sorted, counted, and packed. Knitting is pressed into wool bales by local farmers and other volunteers. Other items are put into cartons. All goods are freighted to a shipping firm in Auckland. Then the bales and cartons are loaded into large shipping containers at the Auckland shipping firm, shipped to Holland, and then trucked to Romania.

Detailed “shipping manifests” record everything from the moment it arrives in Auckland for shipping. When the containers arrive in Holland and again in Romania, our logistics partner checks the manifest to make sure it has all arrived.

There are many logistics costs to cover for this operation. The shipping money covers cartage, insurance, storage, shipping, customs fees, inspection fees, fumigation (if required), bales and packing materials, volunteer expenses e.g., fuel, and some office expenses related to the project (pens, tape, postage and photocopying for example).

Usually, the funds raised in New Zealand have been enough to cover the shipping costs. If they are not, Mission Without Borders covers any shortfall. We do our best to negotiate discounts from the shipping companies and mitigate costs by shipping in the offseason (second half of the year).

Find a local knitting coordinator

Contact us to find a local knitting coordinator.