Little SA dolls have a global impact

There’s a little man lurking at the back of Durban’s Woza Moya craft store — and if you’re willing to pay‚ you can take him home with you.

The tiny fellow is a Little Traveller‚ a small beaded doll not much longer than a pin who spreads the message of love and hope.

It’s been 15 years since a small group of woman at the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust‚ an NGO based in the Valley of 1000 Hills‚ west of Durban‚ came up with the idea of making these tiny characters to raise money and awareness for crafters affected or infected by HIV and AIDS.

“The original beaders made dolls to resemble themselves or to express their lives‚” said Lungi Manyathi‚ marketing coordinator at Woza Moya‚ the economic empowerment project of the Hillcrest Aids Centre Tust.

There are Rastafarian dolls‚ sangoma dolls‚ ballet dolls and dolls carrying footballs or rugby balls — all on display at the three Woza Moya shops in the Upper Highway area.

But “Naughty Boy” isn’t among those on display. Makes sense‚ what with his little penis and two tiny beaded testicles protruding from his shorts. He is so risqué that he is kept in a back room and has to be specifically requested.

“And he was made by one of our most conservative‚ church-going ladies‚” said Manyathi.

The most popular doll is the mother and child‚ made by a beader who said it represented unconditional love.

Each is sold with a passport that contains the story of the Little Traveller as well as information on the trust.

That passport came in handy for Megan Savides and her husband‚ Matthew‚ who took their Little Traveller — named Megthew in honour of their union — to the UK‚ Rome and Paris on honeymoon with them.

“We photographed him at all the sites. We thought that once Megthew was back home with us‚ he would serve as a visual reminder of all the places we had been with him‚” said Megan.

Manyathi said this was exactly why the dolls were created‚ and that the creativity behind each one meant it had broad appeal.

LittleTravellersSA

Picture: LittleTravellersSA via YouTube

“It’s amazing what they (the beaders) come up with and how they manipulate the beads. To make a doll this small and give it character and expression means thinking out of the box‚” she said.

To celebrate 15 years of Little Travellers‚ Woza Moya has launched Little Traveller socks available for men‚ women and kids.

“We get no government funding and have to raise money for our ongoing training. The socks are fun‚ funky and a way to remain sustainable‚” said Manyathi.

Socks at R110 are available online and at Woza Moya outlets. Each pair comes with its own Little Traveller.

Today Woza Moya sells an average of 400‚000 Little Travellers per annum and has over 70 different designs. In total 157 people earn a living through creating the dolls.

The Little Travellers are available online and at gift shops throughout the country. They are also sold at outlets in Australia‚ South Korea and Holland.

There have been many memorable moments for the Little Travellers. Five thousand little kings and queens were produced for the Dutch coronation and internationally renowned designer Issey Miyake was so keen on the Little Travellers that he asked Woza Moya to design a set of dolls based on one of his collections.

“As a doll collector he was keen to have his own‚ wearing his range‚” said Manyathi. “That was quite an experience.”