Shaggy Dog Crochet Toy

In 2015 Rare Diseases SA (RDSA) had made the decision to commission bears for their newly registered rare disease patients, which could be gifted to them so that they could have a companion to encourage them in their journey of survival. 

BUT, due to the nature of rare diseases, RDSA was looking for unique, handcrafted bears – they wanted BEARS that were RARE.

At the same time a local community project were looking to host a skills clinic for unemployed ladies in the Kya Sands community.

​A joint initiative was born,  whereby the ladies were taught the skills to crochet #RareBears, and a platform to generate income was provided. 

Each of these toys is entirely handmade by one of our amazing ladies in the Kya Sands community to this day.