The lovely Shannon has coordinated a crafting for a cause project with Amazima Ministries (which was started by a very inspiring 20 year old woman named Katie, by the way) where she is rounding up the crafters to make dolls for the 350+ orphans cared for by Amazima in Uganda.
I got up early this morning and made these two to send, again using scraps from my stash! A great way to use up that tidbit of special fabric you've been holding onto but is never big enough to use. The pattern as well as full details (including the volunteer form to fill out so Shannon can keep track of how many dolls are coming) are here on Shannon's Amazima Dolls Project blog. You have until October 1st, 2009 to send off a doll, but I guarantee you'll feel better about it if you do it right away. Don't put this off until fall or it will interfere with your holiday crafting and then you'll wimp out. Just do it now.
So why dolls to Ugandan orphans? Shannon gives the background to her inspiration in the interview I did with her over here. For a bit of Uganda current events in a snapshot...in addition to poverty, disease (AIDS especially) and starvation that afflicts the area, the rebel Lord's Resistance Army kidnaps thousands of children to be forced to kill or be wife/slaves. Uganda is not a happy place to grow up right now.
By creating a simple doll that will go directly to an orphan cared for by Amazima, you are giving them a special something they can call their own, that they can love and cuddle and care for.
PS - if you feel like crying today...this story about Sarah is great, this one about Rita and this one about Sumini. These are just a couple stories of the children cared for by Katie & Amazima.
