Bebe Comfort Dolls

It is quite a magical experience shopping at the Fair Trade Store in Bayswater. Each product has its story, is unique in its design and teaches us a little bit more about Fair Trade. And for this month, I have chosen to blog about the Bebe comfort doll.

The comfort doll is designed in such a way that it fits snugly on your shoulder and the idea is for you to pat it on your shoulder when you are feeling sad and "your tears will go away".

Being the curious shopper that I was, I placed one on my shoulder and it took an almost immediate effect with my shoulders feeling lighter and an appreciative smile forming on my face.

The feel of the cloth itself speaks comfort and understanding. Hand-crafted by women from the island of Atauro in East Timor, these dolls are made using traditional Tais cloth. The Tais cloth has been for generations used as dresses and are now mainly worn for ceremonial occassions.

Now you are probably wondering how the making of these dolls help the women from this small island? With the work, the women are able to gain economic independence and in the process, support their families and afford to pay for their children's education.

If you are keen to find out more about the organisation that supports this work, please click on Earthlink. Till the next product review, keep posted on our Facebook page.

Picture and information sourced from Earthlink.

Written by a volunteer from the Fair Trade Store