Gogo Magic aims to harness the good work already done by the Gogo Trust – a non-profit organization which creates sustainable employment in underprivileged communities by teaching people to knit beanies and earning money for their work – to deliver no fewer than 13 000 fan beanies to underprivileged children this winter as football fever reaches its climax throughout the country. Gogo Magic has already created employment for over 450 women from Meadowlands, Thembisa, Vosloorus and Polokwane, who earn money for every beanie they knit.

The Gogo Magic team will be setting up a Gogo Park at Melrose Arch in Gauteng for the whole of June, where the public has the chance to join in a knitting circle, step into a gogo-inspired photo booth, contribute some knitting to an attempt at the World’s Longest Scarf – or just buy a Gogo Magic beanie! The team will also be traveling around the country in June and July in their own special caravan to spread the word by visiting communities and selling beanies in corporate foyers.

Koo Govender, M-Net Director of Corporate Marketing & Communications, says the company is already delighted at the magic spread by this pilot project. “Gogo Magic is already delivering in a key focus area for South Africa – job creation – which is tremendous,” she says. “While our ladies (and a few men!) are busy knitting away and earning wages, we can’t wait for the next step, which is being able to spread the warmth and magic generated by this project, across the country to deserving children during winter 2010.”

The Gogo Magic team plan to travel to World Cup host cities ahead of matches to deliver beanies to communities, which will help keep the winter chill at bay while helping the less-fortunate feel part of the international football spectacular. The 13 000 fan beanies will be distributed to deserving communities in Soweto, Rustenburg, Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Durban and Cape Town throughout winter.

Gogo Trust founder Mike Walker believes that the Gogo Magic project has the potential to spread it’s own special brand of magic throughout the country beyond 2010. “The potential of Gogo Magic is huge,” he says. “With the project already providing sustainable employment for 450 women in just its first year, we can’t wait to see it grow beyond winter 2010 and become a vital ‘knitwork’, spreading magic across the country.”

In order to ensure that the women trained to knit Gogo Magic fan beanies are kept busy after 2010, M-Net Cares is sponsoring the launch of the Gogo range of knitted goods in select retail outlets and via “pop-up stores” in corporate foyers and malls.

Look out for Gogo Magic stands selling beanies, scarves and other wooly goods. Money raised goes back in to the Gogo Trust and M-Net Cares Children’s Educational Fund to ensure that our Gogo Magic “knitworkers” are kept knitting and earning and children are benefiting in more than one way.

To get involved, pop down to the Gogo Park at Melrose Arch in June or visit www.gogoknit.org to see when the Gogo Magic team will be in your town.

Gogo Magic is an M-Net Cares initiative. For more information on Gogo Magic, visit www.mnetcorporate.com.

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Issued on behalf of M-Net Corporate Communications by:
Trevor Crighton
trevor@pageone.co.za
083 652 7713