Teddies for Tragedies

Teddies
for
Tragedies

The project was started by Women’s Royal Voluntary Services
workers (W.R.V.S.). They started to knit teddy bears and
their first batch went to Sudan in 1985, where the
Emergency Care for Children (ECC) nurses were setting up
a temporary orphanage in a refugee camp for 2,000
children with tuberculosis.

The teddies were such as success that more were requested.
Soon teddies were sent to Peru, Uganda, Zambia, Jamaica, Armenia,
Calcutta, Thailand, Romania, Croatia, Albania and to Nepal.

Doctors who treat children in the third world found that the
teddies were sometimes as important to healing, as the
medicines, and of course each child gets to keep the teddy,
so a continual supply is needed.

We brought the idea back to Canada and soon got friends
and family involved in knitting teddies.

With many thanks to Gisele M. Toth, a website was created,
we had some media coverage and bears started to come in
from all over the country.

Friends took bears with them abroad - Simon Kattar, founder
of Waladi Child Education Fund of Toronto took 45 bears
with him to an orphanage in Lebanon. We took 200 to an
orphanage in Craiova, Romania and others went to
Costa Rica and Brazil.
We were very happy and surprised by the response.

To-date we have over 400 volunteers from Canada,
the United States, Australia and Europe.
You too, can make a difference!

Our goals are simple.

When tragedy strikes somewhere in the world, the first
members of society to suffer are the children.
We created the Canadian chapter of Teddies for Tragedies
in the hope of alleviating some of the stress that prevails
when these catastrophes occur.
We also wanted to contribute to the community at large
and perhaps make a difference.

We would like to send teddy bears to as many children as possible.
To-date, we have sent over 1000 bears to children in:-
Mexico, Lebanon, Romania, Costa Rica, Brazil and many
other hot spots via other charities that reflect our own vision.

We have had an incredible response and outpouring of support
from all our current volunteers. If you are wanting to help, but
you can’t knit or crochet, be assured that we are
accepting donations of wool or stuffing.

Feel free to let others know about us, or start your own chapter!

There is no deadline or quota to the number of teddies and/or
bags a volunteer must produce. A ball of wool and needles,
a few hours spent on a craft you love, and your creation could
influence a little child for the rest of his or her life.

Operation Christmas Child

is one of many projects of

Samaritan's Purse

that shares God's love in a tangible way. Samaritan's Purse is an International Christian relief organization that meets the physical and spiritual needs of those less fortunate; people who have been passed by on life's road and need a "Samaritan" to help them back on their feet.

For more information please visit their website at:
www.samaritanspurse.org

Teddy Volunteers Please Note:
Samaritan's Purse
and
Operation Christmas Child

DO NOT PROVIDE PATTERNS
for the Knit or Crocheted Teddies.
Please visit OUR pages for patterns here:

The Original Teddy Bear
Pattern and Diagram.

We would also like to mention that
they do not process any donations of teddies.

Your donations and delivery of
teddies should be directed to
Teddies for Tragedies
and information can be found at the

Mailing Address Page.

Home Page	The Original Teddy Bear Pattern and Diagram.	Mailing Address
News Updates International Contacts.	Children's Pictures with Teddies.	International "Thank You" Pages
Newspaper Articles.