Brenda Coughlan is a granny who lives in Sale, Victoria. Three years ago she started Helga's Project for Kids, in which she makes and delivers knitted or crocheted blankets, boots, ponchos, scarves, hats to orphaned kids in East Timor.

Aside from the endless hours she puts into creating those works, she also relies on the goodwill of volunteers who are drawn to her project. However, Brenda often covers the costs of providing the wool for volunteers herself, and of posting it out to them.

To date the 1000th blanket has just been created. Very soon Brenda will be giving 70 hand-knitted scarves and hats to East Timorese orphaned children, through World Youth Day in Sydney, a ceremony that will be attended by the Pope. Brenda says that rather than seeing the knitted pieces, she sees instead the children who will benefit from them.

The inspiration behind Helga's Project for Kids, began when Brenda's friend Helga was dying in hospital. Helga's husband gave Brenda a box of wool that belonged to his wife. For 16 days before Helga's passing, Brenda kept vigil by knitting beside Helga's hospital bed. The fact that Helga was an orphan, gave Brenda the idea to use Helga's wool to knit things for underpriviledged orphans – and she felt somehow that this project belonged to Helga – hence the name Helga's Project for Kids.

When Brenda began knitting the items, such was her humility that she would secretly drop them off to the Peter Mckallum Cancer Foundation, until one day the institute caught her leaving them there. When they thanked her, Brenda replied that they needn't thank her as she enjoyed doing it. She gives all credit to God for what this project has become.