Showing posts with label Haiti. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Haiti. Show all posts

800 dolls sent to Haiti!

Monday, May 12, 2014


Wow!  If you have been following the Haiti doll drive updates this week you will be over the moon to hear that a whopping 800 dolls were sent in and shipped this April to 5 different schools in Haiti thanks to Monica and Holy Family Cluster.

"We have 689 students & ended up just over 800 dolls!!" Monica 


All extra dolls were distributed to children in the area!  Hooray!

Simply put - this is utterly fantastic!


I know I am thrilled and grateful to hear and see all of the up dates from the lovely and kindhearted Monica (seen above) and so so happy to know that each child has their very own doll.

If you want to send some dolls to Haiti you can find out all the details here!

Hugs and Happy Sewing!

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Doll Distribution in Haiti - Part 3

Sunday, May 11, 2014


Who wants to see some happy kiddies!!!!  Me me me!  Just look at there smiling faces! and each one has their very own doll!!! 

"We hand delivered 100 to our preschoolers in Haiti, telling the older kids (in our 5 schools) they will receive theirs by sea container soon." Monica 



"They absolutely Loved them. We are So Blessed!!"

Thank you so much to Monica for all of her hard work organizing and distributing this doll drive!  

Last update will be on the blog tomorrow!!  Hugs and Happy Sewing Everyone!

If you want to send some dolls to Haiti you can find out all the details here!

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Haiti Doll Drive Update Part 2! 600 dolls collected!

Saturday, May 10, 2014


Congratulations to everyone who sent in dolls to our on going doll drive for the children of Haiti!  Over 600 handmade dolls were sent in!  Like these 65 made by Karen!  So many dollies!!  WOW!!!!  That means 600 happy kids!

"We hand delivered 100 to our preschoolers in Haiti, telling the older kids (in our 5 schools) they will receive theirs by sea container soon." Monica


And here is the lovely Monica herself packing up the crates to be shipped out last month!!! How exciting!

If you want to send some dolls to Haiti you can find out all the details here!

Hugs and Happy Sewing!

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Doll Drive for Haiti Update - Part 1

Friday, May 9, 2014


Wow the wonderful Monica has been super busy with the on going Haiti Doll Drive we started last year!  On her return from Haiti at the end of March she was greated by 63 wonderful dolls from Pam, 11 from Nicole and 17 made by her Girl Scout Troop!!! How Brilliant!



"So fun to see where they come from & all ages involved!" Monica

If you want to send some dolls to Haiti you can find out all the details here!


Want to see what Monica was doing in March? She was handing out these beautiful dolls! They couldn't take them all with them ..... why, because they were already so close to 600 dolls!!! WOW!!! That means the rest would go by sea container in April/May... and each child in their schools out there would have their very own cuddly doll to love!!

Stay tuned for another update on Monica's trip & doll distribution this week!!!

Hugs and Happy Sewing!

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30 dolls to the Children of Haiti!

Thursday, May 8, 2014


Well done to Monika from Poland who made 30 dolls (15 girls and 15 boys) for the children of Haiti! How brilliant! I love how bright they are and the girls cute hair bunches!

If you want to send some dolls to Haiti you can find out all the details here!

Hugs and Happy Sewing!

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40 dolls for the Children of Haiti!

Sunday, March 9, 2014


Wow Fran has been busy! She's made 40 dolls and sent them in to our Haiti Dolly Donations Doll Drive!  The lovely Monica sent me these fabulous photos of Fran's amazing dolls ....

The girls have necklaces, ribbons, sparkly shoes and lace, every little girls dream!


And let's not forget the boys!!!  Look at the fab sneakers and cool shorts they are wearing!  Fun fun FUN!



These 40 will be hand delivered this month but the rest  be shipped out in April/May.  And we are close to the 600 doll goal!!  That means ever child will get their very own dolly! So let's keep sending them in!




Hugs and Happy Sewing! xxx

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Hundreds and hundreds of dolls for children in Haiti!

Tuesday, November 12, 2013


It was wonderful to here from Monica again regarding the Doll Drive to Haiti, not only have they collected 100 dolls but these 8 little beauties were made by two teenagers!  Hooray!

"They were made with love by Megan (16) & Shannon (13) from Pennsylvania. Their mother encouraged them to sew for charity this summer, & this is what they created--very cute." Monica 

I think it's ever so important to teach our children to sew.  We only had 2 years of it at school when I was a child ..  and now they rarely teach it at all in school.

Congrats Megan & Shannon!  They are beautiful!


And then Monica told me .... something amazing happened!

Rebecca (USA) who knew about Dolly Donations saw 2 large boxes of dolls at an Estate auction. (The owners had been Missionaries in Africa for decades.)



And she sent all 363 handmade dolls to the Haiti Doll Drive!!!  

You are an absolute star Rebecca!!  

You can click on the photo to make it larger ... and you'll see all the detail, the clothes and sweet faces, clearly a lot of care, effort and love had gone into making them ..... These beautiful handmade dollies could have so easily have gone to waist in our throw away society!  I am so pleased and grateful that you found them and thought of us!!!

They will now be loved for years to come, the special companion to a little one in need in Haiti.

So the grand total so far is ..... 463 dolls! Hooray!!

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10 more fabulous dollies to Haiti!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013


The lovely kindhearted Dorothy is at it again! She's managed to get her wonderful "Sewing Seeds of Love" group to make up and send out 10 more fabulous dollies to Haiti! Hooray!!!


"Sewing Seeds of Love" group at New Covenant Community Church is sending these 10 precious dollies to Maissade, Haiti next week!"

"Some of the dolls were made by our newest member, Roxy, that joined us after reading about us on you blog!....... (this is the) First doll ever sewn by my granddaughter, Talyn"

Lilly and her beautiful dolly!
"Some of the doll faces were drawn by my granddaughters! So fun to see the joy of giving in them!" Dorothy


Felicity with her designer dolly sketch and finished dolly!!
Wow! They are all so beautiful!  Please tell your granddaughters they are dolly making pros!!!!  Thank you for the wonderful photos and update Dorothy!  Keep up the good work!

Hugs and happy sewing!, Sarah xxxx

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Haiti Doll Distribution – Renew Hope Haiti Spring Dolly Donation Drive

Wednesday, June 29, 2011


Congratulations to all who took part and to the wonderful people at Renew Hope Haiti for all their hard work in making this possible.

The Renew Hope Haiti Spring Dolly Donation Drive ended up with 459 dolls and meant they could be distributed to two separate schools, The Spirit of Truth Schools in Guibert Haiti and Marotiere Haiti.



“The children were so happy when they received their dolls!


One of the best stories was from Marotiere. We had distributed dolls in the morning at this school and spent the rest of the day and early evening painting the school and church.


When we were heading home at the end of the day and about a mile from the school
- we saw children at the side of the road jumping and waving at us.


It wasn’t until we were closer that we realized they were waving their dolls and shouting "Merci" (Thank you). They must have been playing with their dolls all day.


It was so heart-warming and their was not a dry eye in the car.


We want to thank Dolly Donations and all the volunteers who took time to sew for these children....we are truly grateful"
Lisa Paul of Renew Hope Haiti

Off home with her new dolly tucked safely under her arm :)
If you would like to see more of their wonderful trip to Haiti, please check out their Facebook Fan Page

Again Congratulations Everyone!!!!

Take Care and Happy Sewing,

Sarah x

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The Abundant Ground will send our dolls to Haiti!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010




The wonderful people at The Abundant Ground are overjoyed to be able to take our extra dolls from our last drive for children in need in Haiti.


After the success of our first drive for their orphanage in Haiti, we have stayed in close contact.  When I found out they are working with a number of medical clinics (there are very few hospitals still standing since the quake, see photo below) that are tending to children in need, I asked if they would like to provide those children with dolls to help comfort them through their tough times on the road to recovery. And of course Stephanie Victor, the Foundations director was elated!



The Abundant Ground will be working with The Associations of Haiti Physicians Abroad to distribute the dolls to victims and patients in Cap Haitien, Haiti.

So thank you to The Abundant Ground and The Associations of Haiti Physicians Abroad from all of us at Dolly Donations! We can’t wait to hear how the children are doing and hopefully they will receive their very own dolls before Christmas if customs allow it!

If you have made dolls intended for the last doll drive please send your finished dolls to:

The Abundant Ground Foundation
96 East Raymond Avenue
Roosevelt, New York 11575

Please print a tax donation receipt to post in with your dolls. (Your dolls & postage are tax deductable!)

A list of all doll donations and donation receipts will be provided by The Abundant Ground. 

Please Note: This is not an Active Doll Drive.

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Haitian Women Providing for their Children through Sewing

Sunday, July 4, 2010


I was sent this fabulous site by one of our Dolly Donations friends and had to share it with you all.

Haiti Projects is a Sewing Cooperative started in 1996 to provide local Haitian women with the work they need to earn a living. They offer beautiful quality items sewn and embroidered with skill, love and care. These are “not hand-outs”. Eighty women work very hard to sustain their families without the need for charity.

“(They work) in Fond des Blancs, Haiti, a poor, mountainous area 75 miles west of Port au Prince. Most of the inhabitants of Fond des Blancs live, with their impoverished children, on less than one US dollar a day.”


The women receive 100% of the proceeds from sales enabling them to feed their children and send them to school.

So the next time you need to buy a gift for someone’s birthday, Christmas, or just something special for yourself, why not check out what they have instead of ending up at the same old high street stores…… I know i will :)


Have a wonderful Week, and Happy Sewing!


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Active Dolly Drive: Free The Kids - Dolls for Haiti Orphans

Wednesday, May 5, 2010



The Free The Kids Dolly Donation Drive 2010 has been completed!

Please follow this link for a list of  Active Doll Drives

Free The Kids (Theo’s Work inc.)  is a wonderful organization that was founded by Father Marc to help orphaned and vulnerable children in Haiti. His orphanage situated in Southern Haiti was set up to care for young children and teenage boys from the streets, however since the earth quake there has been an ever growing population of girls who have found a new home at ‘Hope Village’.

Some of the happy children at Hope Village. Source 

“ At Free The Kids/Espwa we have seen significant suffering as well. As many of you know, before the earthquake, we had 650 children in our care at Pwoje Espwa Sud in Les Cayes, Haiti. We now have just over 800. Our food, housing, clothing, sanitation, and schools are stretched to their limit. Many of our children are sleeping 4 to a bed.”

With the success of our last drive, I know we will be able to provide a little extra comfort to these children.

Dee Orlowski, West Region Director for Free The Kids, has asked if we can provide their younger children with 132 dolls. All extra dolls will be given out to those children that are admitted after the start date of this drive and to the younger ones that attend the school and vocational training classes (over 1,100 children) in Hope Village from the poor surrounding neighborhoods.

They need 132 dolls.
 32 girl dolls, and 100 boy dolls by November 2010.

Completed!  Well Done Everyone!!!

Remember boy dolls can wear Hawaiian shirts (flower/girly print fabric scraps!)! Soccer is a huge sport in Haiti, why not appliqué a number to the back of a doll’s shirt and put a pair of shorts on him? (click here for a great free boy shorts pattern) He’ll be ready to hit the soccer pitch with his new best friend in no time!

Click here for my free doll patterns!


The Free The Kids Dolly Donation Drive has been completed!

By November 1st ….. remember the shipment leaves the US bond for Haiti ON the 1st of November.

Stanley & Moustafa, Hope Village 2010 Source

Thank You So Much Everyone! Don’t forget to tell all your friends!!

Take Care and Happy Sewing!




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UPDATE: New End Date for Haiti Dolls is 31st March!!!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010



I have Fabulous News!! We now have until the 31st of March to have our Dolls to New York for the Haiti Orphan Dolly Drive.

That means more time for making Dollies!!

I can’t tell you how happy I am :)

Happy Sewing!

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The Abundant Ground Foundation: A Better World, 1 Dolly at a Time!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010


The wonderful people behind The Abundant Ground Foundation have written a lovely article all about Dolly Donations and what we are trying to achieve together.

“Surrounded by the loss of life as recovery efforts continue, even the strongest of Haitian survivors must feel weakened by all that they have experienced. In the face of such destruction, it can be easy to overlook those who must be the most overwhelmed by the events of January 12th the children of Haiti. It is because of this that Sarah Hanson and her Dolly Donations program has teamed with the Abundant Ground Foundation in an attempt to bring some stability and comfort children of Haiti”

“The creation of 181 dolls for these children is an act of love and compassion, and this love serves as the driving force that keeps the doll-makers going and the doll count rising .”

Read the whole article here…..

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Haiti: Children’s Only Toys Are Fashioned From Trash

Sunday, January 31, 2010




I just read an article that reported on a tent camp in Haiti, stating that ‘they teemed with children whose only toys were hewn from garbage ….. ‘

I look at the many colorful …. safe…. toys in my daughter’s toy box on the living room floor, and hope that I can make a difference. Let the children be children and play with something that is theirs….

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The Abundant Ground Foundation - Haiti Orphanage - Active Dolly Drive

Thursday, January 28, 2010


The Abundant Ground Foundation is a wonderful organization that has an orphanage in Haiti housing 181 children between the ages of birth to 12. They also provide food and necessary items to displaced families through their Abundant Ground in Haiti program.

They would love to be able to give Dolly Donation Dollies to all of their orphans and will ship them to Haiti on the 14 March  Update: 31 March 2010.

Congratulations this Doll Drive is Completed see the photos HERE!

If we are lucky enough to make more than the 181 goal, Stephanie Victor, the President of The Abundant Ground Foundation, has assured me that they will be gratefully appreciated, shipped and distributed to the children of the surrounding area that have nothing to call their own.

Please send your Dollies to:


Congratulations this Doll Drive is Completed!


By March 31 st 2010….. remember the shipment leaves the US bond for Haiti ON the 31st of March 2010!!!

Don't forget to pop a piece of paper in with your Dollies stating they are from the Dolly Donations Drive so we can get a tally of how many Dolls are turning up. It would be fabulous if you could tell me many you have sent also ;)

Please let me know if you would like to take part in this Dolly Drive by leaving a comment or e-mailing me, and don't forget to send me your finished Dolly photos, or join the Dolly Donations Flickr Group and share them with everyone!

Link to: Dolly Donations Pattern (Please use a brown fabric skin tone).

Have a Question? Please check my FAQ page., leave a comment and/or Click to Email Me

Thank you so much for your help, and Happy Sewing!



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Haiti Dolly Pattern Almost Here!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010



My Dolly pattern is finally done, and so is the tutorial! Hoorrhhaa!!!  Just need to sort out the PDF and I’ll have it up online by the end of the week, fingers crossed!!!

I’m very excited to announce that the New Jersey based charity The Abundant Ground Foundation really needs 181 Dollies by March 15 for their orphanage in Haiti.  I'll post more details soon!  

So I am going to need all the help I can get!!

Please Spread the word!


Thank you to all my wonderful friends and family for your support in my crazy Dream!




And a big thank you to the love of my life, my inspiration ....... and of course my top quality control manager, my daughter xxx

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Haiti: My thoughts on a Little Miracle!

Monday, January 25, 2010



This little girl, thought to be around 18 months old, was pulled from the rubble 6 days after the earthquake, amazingly with no injuries!

She is the not the first baby to be found alive, Jean-Louis Brahms, eight months old, was rescued after 5 days trapped under his house, his poor parents had given up hope that he was alive.

What breaks my heart is that this little girl’s name is not known, and her parents are ‘believed’ to be dead. With over 150,000 dead (BBC reported), mass graves filled with unidentified bodies, will she ever find her parents….

It’s pictures like these that make me determined to help. Seeing children lying in makeshift hospital beds, alone, kills me, as I’m sure it does other parents around the world. These children need to be able to feel hope, comfort and love.

I will do my best to make as many dolls as I possibly can, and appreciate everyone who is willing to work alongside me in trying to make this simple dream a reality…………………….. and get the dolls into the hands of the children of Haiti.

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Haiti Prototype Rag Dolly Finished!

Saturday, January 23, 2010


After the adventures of the ‘easy’ sew pattern last week, I decided to give that a rest and start on my ‘intermediate’ Free Rag Doll Pattern I am making for everyone to share.

First I sketched out what I wanted the doll to look like, added a ¼ inch to each piece and merrily began to cut them out in card.

First thing I noted, the fancier the design, the more waste in fabric. That’s not good.

Second thing I realized. I loathe sewing doll thumbs at this scale, and so does my machine. I managed to jam it just after taking this photo. Far too fiddly and the end result was no better than the rounded ones I started doing.

Third thing. Boy did I make the arms too long and everything was far too skinny, making stuffing a slow job! The boy dolly (who I started with) looks like a runner bean, poor chap! I made a few quick adjustments to the girl dolly … but I’d already cut the pattern out – silly Sarah!

Fourth thing. Incorporating the hair into the design will make it much quicker than this method (didn’t have any black felt on hand, but I think the colors make the dollies look cute! So I might stick to it in the final design. Ahh I love it when you make happy mistakes!)


And last but not least ….. I think their faces might have too much detail ……... Especially if i am to teach someone who doesn’t paint. (don’t get me started on the shape of their heads …. Prototype people!!! hahaha) anyway…. All in all, I am pretty happy with the first shot at a dolly pattern and will look forward to tinkering with it over the next week.

Have a Lovely Weekend, & Happy Sewing!

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