Ten million moments of wonderful wonders

IT’S ALL ABOUT timing, and the timing for this movement is now.

Many Africans are overwhelmed and fearful amid the global pandemic.

We are bombarded by conflicting information that changes at the speed of light.

Two weeks ago, the World Health Organization, the definitive global authority on health care, clearly – stipulated that masks should be worn only by medical professionals.

Now it says everyone should wear one.

Before the pandemic, reusable washable cloth masks did not exist. Masks were designed for single use, and there were not enough to go around.

With too few masks, it makes sense to keep the ones that we have for medical professionals.

Then women across the world got out their sewing machines and started making washable, reusable cloth masks, using the materials they had lying around the house.

Old clothes, table clothes and bed linen were cut up and stitched together into masks that everyday people could use to keep the people around them safe.

The global mask-making movement gained momentum, and authorities and scientists stepped in.

Debates rage about the perfect fabric and the perfect pattern.

They are missing the point.

Stop chasing perfection. The more you over-specify, the more difficult it becomes to make any mask.

We encourage people to use their common sense, and what they have lying around the house. The right fabric is one that feels good against the skin and that you can breathe through without sweating.

We gave up specifying the perfect mask pattern when we realised that our makers are doing this out of love, using things that they are buying themselves.

They take so much pride in what they do, that each mask is carefully considered. And through this, amazing innovations are emerging.

Something as simple as moving a tie can change the whole way a mask fits – and comfortable masks are more likely to be worn.

It was arrogant of us to tell these amazing, creative makers how to make the masks that they do. We were stifling creativity and innovation.

It was difficult to learn how to, but we let go – and through that, we grew.

10MillionMasks has become a community of people who care. United by a common purpose, people put aside their differences and find their shared humanity.

Meaningful friendships are made as we pull together to solve a problem that is bigger than all of us.

It’s a kindness revolution spearheaded by a creative way of looking at problems – that could only happen in Africa.

And we couldn’t be prouder.

Join 10MillionMasks: www.10millionmasks.africa, join@10millionmasks.africa, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook: @10MillionMasks