The reasons behind this donation are simple. While we reach for our winter woollies, those less fortunate often don’t have the clothing they need to protect themselves from the icy chill. This results in a weakened immune system, which can lead to a scratchy throat and runny nose often heralding the beginning of a cough or cold.

The SOS Children’s Villages build families for orphaned and abandoned children. Between eight and 10 children are cared for in small “family homes” which are headed by a house mother who nurtures and cares for them. “We hope that our small act of kindness will help to protect the children and the mothers who care for them at SOS Children’s Villages from the cold this winter,” explains VICKS brand manager Mosala Phillips.

“The wonderful thing about this initiative by Vicks is that the mothers and children of the SOS Children’s Villages are not the only ones who will benefit from this donation. The Gogo Trust has provided employment to 50 knitworkers from the Vosloorus, Meadowlands and Tembisa and communities, who as a result of this project will once again be assisted to put food on the table and buy warm clothes for their own families this winter. Vicks is truly making a proud show of paying it forward this season. While their products may keep the symptoms of colds away, this donation will help more disadvantaged women and their children to keep warm this winter,” explains Gogo Trust managing director, Mike Walker.

Vicks will help spread winter warmth throughout the country with youngsters from the following SOS villages each being presented with a woolly beanie: Ennerdale, Mamelodi, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Mthatha Eastern Cape, Nelspruit Village, Pietermaritzburg and Rustenburg. Each of the house mothers, village directors who live at each village, and members of the youth centres situated at some of the villages will also be sporting cosy head gear as the cooler weather sets in.

As the weather forecast turns icy, be sure to spare a thought for the women and children who will be kept a little warmer this winter thanks to Vicks. And while its special brand of care has been helping mothers and their youngsters for decades, this year it will be extended to those less fortunate.

For more information about the Gogo Trust, visit www.gogoknit.org