These little poppi's (dolls) are living stories from Zola creche in Soweto, South Africa. Each doll is based on a drawing done by one of the children from the creche and then hand sewn by grandparents. Each doll is unique and made by hand and therefore may vary slightly to the one shown in the picture. DIMENSIONS: 8" L X 4" W
Out of a little daycare in Soweto, South Africa, a story emerges with enough heart to touch people across the globe. In a time when only the bleakest of African stories seems to bombard the media, comes a story of creativity, hope and empowerment. And it all started with 8 imaginative little kids drawings. When the legendary vicar, Trevor Huddleston, founded the African Children's Feeding Scheme (distributes food to 21 000 children at 13 different centre's in Soweto daily) in 1945, he would have had no idea what an amazing project this initiative would spawn. In a desperate attempt to generate income for the ACFS and become less dependant on food parcels, they developed the Shwe Shwe Poppi's Project. The project was based upon a few enchanting and heartfelt crayon drawings produced by kids from the Zola Malnutrition and Rehabilitation crèche, run by the AFCS. From these children's drawings a range of 8 different fantasy characters has been created, and are sewn by hand. Many of the kids have lost their parents to HIV/Aids and so their grandmothers look after them and it is these same grandmothers that began sewing the dolls. Each doll is handmade from recycled Shwe Shwe cloth and other bits of fabric to create a one of a kind item. Each character is named after the child who designed it and comes in its own little Shwe Shwe cloth bag with information about the child who created it. Funds generated from this project are placed in a Trust which benefits the children in helping to further their education.
