Many babies with AIDS from poor African villages are wrapped in newspaper and sent home from hospital when they are born.
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It has given them the label "fish and chip babies" and students at Corowa High School are working towards providing these babies with a simple necessity that is taken for granted in Australia.
Textile and design teacher Sharyn Bridges is encouraging her students to knit beanies and jumpers to clothe the babies.
Students Emma Wilson,16, Grace Kingston, 16, and Phoebe Overend, 15, (pictured right) are part of the group knitting clothes and hats for Fish and Chip babies and have all been satisfied by the project.
Ms Bridges said students had been engaged in the subject because they were creating something for a cause.
"It's a nice project that teaches students the right knitting skills," she said.
The school students will work to dress about 30 babies.
Ms Bridges said knitting was a skill young people were embracing.
"It's something a lot of mums don't do," she said.
"But grandmas do.
“The girls like to sit there and knit and talk.
"It's skipped a generation and now the students are doing something to help somebody else."
Ms Bridges said students were using bright coloured yarn as the African mothers liked vibrant clothes.
She said Australia was hoping to create 34,000 jumpers and hats for babies and the school was sending its knits to Saint Agatha’s Catholic Parish in Cranbourne.
Ms Bridges said this was the first year the school knitted for Fish and Chip babies and it was something that had given students a sense of social justice.
The textiles teacher said it had been an eye-opening experience for students.
“These clothes may never be washed,” Ms Bridges said.
Patterns for the jumpers and hats can be found online and Ms Bridges said it was a good project for everyone.
