Extraordinary Mondays - Uthando Project

Have you heard of the Uthando Project? This project began in 2004 when Dr Julie Stone, an Australian infant, child and family psychiatrist returned from South Africa determined to find a way to help the children in the Hlabisa district. The initial invitation to dollmakers have grown from strength to strength and is still going.

If you want to be part of it, all you need to do is to make a doll with the following guidelines:

• Make your doll brown, firm, well filled and cuddly, with colourful clothing (or body, for knitted dolls)
• Remember that dolls are for children of all ages
• Dolls with dress-up clothing need at least 3 items of clothing. Shoulder bags, beads, and other decorations are very welcome!

The Uthando Project website also provides you with some basic patterns to make the dolls here and their "contact us" provides you with details regarding who to contact when you have finished your doll or if you want to have further information for a participation in a bigger way.

This is one of the things that is going in my "to-do" list!