To someone affected by the pandemic, “AIDS day” is not something that comes and goes with the turn of a calendar page. Similarly, Little Travellers are dedicated to support these individuals – particularly those affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa – each and every day of the year.
These beaded Lilliputians, however, are known to pounce at each and every opportunity to highlight the plight of South Africans infected/affected by HIV/AIDS. Thus, volunteers of the Little Travellers HIV/AIDS Initiative around the world commemorated Saturday, December 1st, 2007 – World AIDS Day – as a special opportunity to admire the courage, resilience and dignity of those personally touched by this pandemic, and to celebrate the hope and happiness that is being restored to their lives through the travels of these beaded dolls around the globe. Here is a run-down of how Little Travellers spent World AIDS Day:
In South Africa, Little Traveller dolls relaxed on a fine summer day as the Hillcrest AIDS Centre hosted a market and tea garden to mingle with the neighbours.
Meanwhile, in spite of the chilly weather, Little Travellers in Canada were kept cozy by the warm-heartedness of students at McGill and Concordia Universities in Montreal, as well as the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, where they were sold throughout the week.
In America, Little Travellers North Carolina were the beneficiaries of a special “Shop, Share & Care” evening at One World Market, in Durham; the evening was made even sweeter by delicious samples from Divine Chocolate – a farmer-owned, fair-trade chocolate company dedicated to achieving fair wages and livelihoods for African cocoa farmers.
In Israel, in cooperation with the Sackler School of Medicine New York State American program Physicians for Human Rights chapter, the Little Travellers Israel chapter handed out informational pamphlets, distributed red ribbons, sold baking, and helped find new homes for the ever-popular Little Travellers (see photos below). In addition, a speaker/workshop on AIDS hospice and education in Israel was hosted on Thursday.
Finally, in Korea, World AIDS Day marked the official debut of Little Travellers in the Land of the Morning Calm. Both Koreans and expatriates living in Korea have shown a keen interest in the uniqueness of the dolls along with the goodwill they inspire. Little Travellers Korea successfully hosted its first event on December 1st to coincide with World AIDS Day (see photos below). The Benefit was held at Mike’s Cabin in the Shinchon area of Seoul. Several local musicians donated their time and talent with original melodies to the delight of all attendees. It was a great success in both creating awareness about the project and finding new homes for the dolls. More than 250 dolls were sold raising over 1.3 million won ($1440 Cdn) for families in South Africa. A further 316 000 won ($350 Cdn) was raised through a raffle to help pay for marketing and operating expenses of the chapter in Korea.
Little Travellers are now available in every country with a post office, and chapters of volunteers aiding in their journies have emerged in countries, such as Canada, USA, England, Israel, South Korea, Japan and Australia, to name a few! To connect to a chapter near you, visit our website for details.
Israel:
Korea:
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