Travellers’ tales
Little Travellers may be small, but they have made a big difference to the lives of many South African women living with HIV.
If the Little Traveller dolls could talk they would each have an interesting story to tell. The first Little Travellers were made in 2003 and sold locally in flea markets, conferences and schools to provide an income for crafters and raise money for Hillcrest’s programs for people affected by HIV and AIDS, which include testing, counselling, home-based care, feeding schemes, respite care, food gardens and HIV and AIDS education. So far more than 40,000 Little Travellers have been sold around the world, raising more than $200,000.
Hillcrest’s Woza Moya project provides clients with skills training and income-generating opportunities in beadwork, wirework, ceramics, fabric painting, papermaking, crochet and sewing to enable them to be more self-sufficient and have a more positive outlook on life. It currently works with more than 100 crafters. It seems there is no end to how far Little Travellers can go. Today, they have their own blog — www.littletraveller.org.za — where customers can upload stories and pictures from around the world. They have also inspired an exhibition at Durban Art Gallery and a documentary film and even featured on the catwalk at Durban Fashion Week.
Oxfam Shop has been stocking the Little Travellers since 2005 and has recently added new “runaway bride and groom” travellers to its range.
The online shop also stock several other Woza Moya beaded products including giraffe statues, AIDS ribbon pins and handmade cards. As well as being one of our shop partners, Hillcrest is also one of our long-term development partners. We have been supporting the centre to provide HIV education and prevention programs in schools since 2005.
