Local charity Adara Development has teamed up with DHL to provide hats and blankets hand-knitted in Bermuda to sick newborns in Uganda.

The items, knitted by Adara Development, will be shipped to the Kiwoko Hospitals neonatal intensive care unit by DHL to help struggling newborns in the African nation.

First established in 2000, the unit has helped thousands of sick and premature newborns, improving the survival rate by 28 per cent.

The knitting circle, led by 91-year-old Olive Wilkinson, uses mostly donated wool, which they work into colourful hats and blankets.

As the circle expanded, however, they found the cost of shipping the goods to Uganda burdensome, causing them to look for a partner.

After a brief introduction to their work, Rob Brown, regional manager of DHL, agreed to support their work by committing to carry up to six boxes of hats and blankets to the hospital each year.