| The Creative Stitch A fiber addict's haven on Boston's South Shore. | ||||||||
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| ‘Comfort’ dolls for children By Mary Ford Thursday, February 22, 2007 Little dolls standing about eight inches high that can easily be held in a child’s hand are multiplying at the Creative Stitch on King Street (3A) in Cohasset. The Duduza (or comfort) dolls are made from yarn scraps and filled with polyester stuffing, so there is little cost. They are very easy to knit, so even a beginner can tackle the pattern, says shop owner Kristin Ross of Scituate. The colorful dolls, each with its own personality thanks to the creativity of the knitter, will travel thousands of miles this summer to a part of the world totally different from the South Shore. The Friday knitting class at the Creative Stitch got the project rolling after class participant Ann Selinger of Hingham shared the story about a friend of hers in Vermont who is involved with CHABA (Children Affected by HIV/AIDS), a non-profit founded in 2002, whose mission is to raise awareness in the US about the plight of children in Africa and to support community-based projects in Namibia, South Africa and Rwanda. The Duduza dolls go to children in child-headed households that are part of an association called Amahoro, meaning peace. Teenagers orphaned by genocide and AIDS formed the association. They have begun to combine families – some of which are headed by children even younger – in order to survive. CHABA has formed a partnership with Amahoro and has helped Amahoro expand its mission. CINDI (Children In Distress), a consortium of children’s program in South Africa, initiated the knitting pattern for the dolls. According to the CINDI network, the idea sprang from a Canadian Internet site on which it was learned Canadians were using knitted dolls instead of polystyrene when packaging medical equipment for Africa. The dolls were then distributed to children in the hospitals. CINDI partners, who are always seeking ways to help children affected by the AIDS pandemic, picked up on the idea. “Here was a comfort doll that the children can squeeze when they feel said,” stated Yvonne Spain of CINDI on the website. CINDI founders contacted the Canadian group for the pattern and the Duduza doll project took off. CHABA brought 215 of the comfort dolls to one of Amahoro’s Saturday gatherings in Rwanda in December. That day more than 1,000 children showed up and all wanted a doll. Plans are to return in June with more dolls. Ross, the Creative Stitch owner, welcomed the Selinger’s idea about getting involved in the project and hopes to have 1,000 dolls completed by the summer. Each doll takes about an hour or two to make. “The need is so huge, this is a way that we can give back,” Ross says. “Everyone in the Friday class embraced the idea of doing the dolls.” The excitement and effort has spread to other classes at the shop. People are also welcome to take the pattern home. Traci Gilbert of Cohasset, who takes a class at the Creative Stitch, was so enthusiastic that her teenaged daughter has gotten involved and has organized sophomores at Cohasset High for a CHABA Challenge to knit dolls for the project. The doll’s “skin” is knit with brown yarn in keeping with the culture of the region but the doll’s clothing varies widely depending on the colorful yarn scraps used. Selinger said her four-year-old granddaughter saw a doll and wanted one. The moment provided Selinger with the opportunity to talk her granddaughter about children in parts of Africa that have no toys. When the dolls are completed, Selinger will take them to her friend, Jane Davis, in Chester, Vt. for the trip to Africa. | ||||||||
Click here for Duduza Doll pattern. | ||||||||
