Specialty Travellers!
* Be sure to check back often, as a new Specialty Traveller will be released every week! *
Bumblebee
Did you know that beekeeping has been promoted as a low cost, sustainable and environmentally friendly activity to help lift people in Southern Africa out of poverty? Some of the reasons include the fact that beekeeping can be undertaken even with a small landholding on poorly tillable land; it is low cost and sustainable; and the product is reliable and valuable.
Become a beekeeper! Buy a bumblebee for $7!
Mermaid
Did you know that mermaids sightings have been reported in South Africa? In fact, these sightings are said to occur every few years in the most unusual of places: the Karoo, a region of semi-desert more than 100 kilometres from the coast!
Buy your Mermaid Traveller now for $9!
Mama & Baby
As in many cultures, family is extremely important in South Africa. To celebrate the bond between mother (Mama in Zulu) and baby (umntwana), a Little Traveller mama was created holding a baby.
Celebrate family with this Mama & Baby Traveller pair. This is a great gift for the women in your life - mothers, gogos (grandmothers), wives, aunts, sisters, daughters, nieces and friends.
Buy your Mama & Baby Travellers for just $7.
Mineworker
Did you know that South Africa is the world's leading gold producer? It is also the leading producer of platinum, manganese, titanium, chrome, zirconium and vanadium. In fact, in 2000 mineral resources accounted for 47% of South Africa's exported goods, and the mining industry is South Africa's biggest employer.
Johannesburg - South Africa's biggest city - has historically been the epicentre of the gold mining industry, and men from across the country including rural areas in KwaZulu-Natal, where the Little Travellers are made, moved here to work in the mining industry. Johannesburg is known in Zulu as "eGoli", meaning "The Place of Gold".
Buy your Mineworker Little Traveller today! They cost $7 each.
Working Lady
It is very common in South Africa to see women walking in town or along the highway with bundles of wood, baskets or buckets balanced on top of on their heads.
Little Travellers Fun Fact: There is over 100 beaders participating in making Little Travellers! That means that more than 100 families are being supported by the project.
Working Lady Travellers cost $7 each.
Soccer Player
Hobbies: Playing “football”
Fun Facts: South Africans love playing soccer, and they also love having guests to their beautiful country. This is why it is so exciting that the 2010 FIFA World Cup is in South Africa next June & July!
Did you know that South Africa's national men's football team is nicknamed "Bafana Bafana", which is Zulu for "The Boys, The Boys"? The women's team is called "Banyana, Banyana", meaning - you guessed it - "The Girls, The Girls".
The crafters who make Little Travellers dolls were asked to create a 4 metre beaded map of Africa for one of the soccer stadiums at the World Cup! What an amazing opportunity!
If you can't make it to the games in 2010, having the first soccer Speciality Traveller is definitely a great way to be involved in the fun! This Specialty Traveller is a great gift for all sports fans.
About Specialty Travellers
Specialty Travellers are limited edition Little Travellers that have been specially designed and created by the crafters of the Hillcrest AIDS Centre. They are a celebration of ingenuity and incredible skill. When a crafter creates a new design for a Specialty Traveller, they get the rights to all future orders for that particular design - thus rewarding creativity and innovation. Specialty Travellers cost a bit more than regular Little Travellers because of the added amount of time and work that goes into creating them.
Remember, no two Little Travellers are alike, so the one that you receive will not be identical to the photos you see. Little Travellers are as unique as the artists who make them!
