The Mammas

Meet the Mammas


As reported in the previous entry, approximately 200 dolls were made to kick start the fund. These were assembled and stuffed by volunteers and patiently waited for their turn in the 'dressing room'. I must admit, it looks quite freaky if you don't know what they are. On this particular heap are only about 50 dolls waiting in anticipation.


We decided to dress and decorate the dolls in the image of the caregivers and in the order of their participation. 14 dolls of each person were made and the intention is to make 14 variations of the first 14 caregivers. That will give us 196 dolls for this first phase.




First was Deliwe; a 48 year old woman who has proven to be dedicated and extremely capable with a sewing machine. She makes all her own clothing and even sews for others. The challenge for Deliwe was to fabricate by hand; a skill that she has not needed up until now. Her representation was dressed in red and blue with exaggerated eyelashes. Isn't she gorgeous?









Beauty is a young lady who is mother of two; her youngest is about 6 months old. She prides herself on her chubby babies and what sets her apart is her style of wearing bandannas. She is a keen soccer fan and it was decided to dress her in an outfit (orange and black) with soccer balls in the design.











Senzeni is the youngest person in the group; she is only 23 years old and the sweetest young lady you can wish to meet. Always with a smile on her face and ever so keen to learn, there has not been a task that she was not willing to try. She has a round face and very fine features that resulted in the doll dressed in yellow and brown. Isn't she stunning?









Initially we anticipated the need of a translator to ensure that everybody understands the instructions. This has proven to be totally unnecessary mainly because of Anna. In her sixties, Anna speak fluent Afrikaans and translates for any and everybody when we fall onto our mother tongues. She is a real giggle and loves to chat about neighbourly matters. She always wears a head band and the smile is permanent.





Three of us are working against the clock and I will upload pictures as the dolls become human. I have to admit that the caregivers have overtaken me; they have produced their first two kiddy dolls and I will upload pictures soon.

If you are interested in helping us with the finer finishes, please contact me via email. Take care and we'll chat soon.