Teddies for Refugees - an Update!

Hi everyone! 

My Teddies for Refugees project is going really well - I've sold 20 teddies, with $10 each going to support the world of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre here in Australia. Plus, a local tennis group have chosen the Resource Centre for a charitable donation from hearing about my project! 

I wanted to share with you a special story today :) 

My cousin is a church minister in Western Sydney, an area which has a high number of people who have come to Australia as immigrants or refugees, and who do not have English as their first language. One particular family that he is working with are refugees from Syria. When I was talking with them over Christmas, my cousin asked if I could make a pair of teddies to give to the family - one in Aussie green and gold, and the other in the colours of the Syrian flag! 

The Aussie one reminds me so much of a soccer player! I had fun looking up the Syrian flag, and figuring out how to get the stars on the white middle of the flag.

I used Anne's Cross Your Heart Teddy pattern (which is free!) and the Teeny Tiny Stars pattern by Lucy at Attic24 for the stars. The yarn is Stylecraft Special DK, except the stars which are Red Heart Margareta.

Making these teddies, and special requests like these buddies has been so much fun, as well as raising money to help refugees!

If you're in Australia and want to buy a teddy and support refugees, visit the shop at https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/TeddiesforRefugees! 

Teddies for Refugees

Good morning everyone! And happy birthday to me! 

For my birthday this year, I want to give gifts rather than receive them. 

I am so lucky to have been born and live in this peaceful, prosperous country, to have a wonderfully supportive family, to have safe and open access to education for as long as I want to, to say pretty much what I like where I like, and to have many excellent friends of different ethnicities and backgrounds. 

There are lots of people in the world who have not been nearly as lucky as me - they were born and live in war-torn countries, or where they are not free to be themselves; who live in fear of their lives and the lives of those they love every day. Some muster the courage (and funds!) to escape, to seek refuge in countries like mine, to share and build peace and prosperity. 

Australia is built on our native peoples' lands, and the work and effort of all Australians, whether born here or overseas. We are a nation of immigrants, and it saddens me that our government is indulging in dog whistle politics, trying to scare us about new people arriving. We keep people, including children, in "immigration detention". We are learning to be selfish and judgmental.

This year I want to do something to help - to prove to the thousands of people seeking safety and opportunity in Australia that most Australians do care, do want them here, and do recognise the achievements and contributions of refugees past and future. But what could I do? I do not have much money to spend, nor do I have much energy for activism or physical assistance. But I can crochet :)

So, I have launched my "Teddies for Refugees" shop on Etsy today, for my birthday. For each teddy sold, $10 will be donated to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, an organisation providing practical assistance and advocacy to those seeking a new life in Australia. I have chosen this organisation because of the great work it does, and their work fits well with my career in the legal profession, as well as my practical nature. If you want to learn more about what the ASRC does, visit their website at www.asrc.org.au 

https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/TeddiesforRefugees

My birthday wish is for my friends to share my shop link, so that we have the best chance of selling as many teddies as possible to help the ASRC.

At the moment it's only available to Australian customers because of ridiculous postage costs to anywhere else, but if you are not in Australia and want to help those fleeing terrible situations, I encourage you to contact a refugee organisation in your area and ask them what they need the most. 

As the Australian national anthem itself says:

"For those who've come across the seas, 

we've boundless plains to share;

With courage let us all combine

to Advance Australia Fair."

Heart Teddy Bear / Herzensbär

Hello!

Over the last couple of weeks more and more refugees have arrived in Germany (and other European countries). The pictures shown in the media are heartbreaking: Adults, children and babies - so many people who lost everything and are looking for a safe place to stay where they can live without their lives in danger all the time. Yet there is so much resistance everywhere to take them in; it makes me very sad and disgusted with mankind.

Fortunately there is a huge wave of people who want and try to help. Here in Dortmund where over 5000 refugees arrived just over the last week, lots of people waited at the train station to welcome the newcomers and offer them food and the first basic things. In Munich the police had to ask people to stop bringing donated goods as they couldn't store them anymore. Of course all the help is not enough as the refugees will need help for far longer than just for that one moment. They need help learning German, finding their place here and so on.

I planned to teach German in one of the refugee camps/homes here in Dortmund but at the moment I just can't see myself doing it. Not because I don't want to but because I don't have the energy. Like so many of you out there, I am a Spoonie. Plus I have mentioned my dad is really, really ill and we try to  cherish as much time together as we have left. So I can't commit to something (at the moment) where I don't know if I could teach each week/every couple of days. It just wouldn't be fair plus it would add a lot of stress to myself, stress I am not sure my body can cope with at the moment.

Still. I want to do something. At first I thought about making blankets but while I was talking with Michelle, we came up with the idea to make teddy bears for the kids. Crocheted ones of course. They work up quickly (compared to a blanket) and I imagine they would be well loved and close to heart. 

Would you like to join me in making Heart Teddy Bears? :) 

If all of us just make one, there will be heaps of happy children. Plus you can take it to any refugee place close to your house (if there is none, you can also send them to me), so there is little logistic effort.

I browsed the internet and found many lovely free crochet teddy bear patterns. Here is just a short selection of the ones I really like (the pics are from the Ravelry pages of the patterns):

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/teddy-bear-50

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bear--pot-of-honey

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/teddy-in-a-tee

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lil-classic-teddy

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/walter-bear

I will add a little heart to the breast of the teddy to show it is very close to my heart. A heart teddy bear that is :)

If you want to join me, I made little labels to add to the teddy bear:

I will try to finish my first teddy bear over the weekend (if I can decide which pattern to use). Pictures should be online soon! 

Take care and happy crochet

Anne