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Traumateddy Bilingual Books for Refugee Children

Help us reach the unreached Syrian Refugees with bilingual books & trauma teddies for children

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Traumateddy Bilingual Books for Refugee Children

Traumateddy Bilingual Books for Refugee Children

Traumateddy Bilingual Books for Refugee Children

Traumateddy Bilingual Books for Refugee Children

Traumateddy Bilingual Books for Refugee Children

Help us reach the unreached Syrian Refugees with bilingual books & trauma teddies for children

Help us reach the unreached Syrian Refugees with bilingual books & trauma teddies for children

Help us reach the unreached Syrian Refugees with bilingual books & trauma teddies for children

Help us reach the unreached Syrian Refugees with bilingual books & trauma teddies for children

Shelley Deane
Shelley Deane
Shelley Deane
Shelley Deane
2 Campaigns |
London, United Kingdom
$4,255 USD 45 backers
42% of $10,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Highlights
Mountain Filled 2 Projects Mountain Filled 2 Projects

Bilingual books and Traumateddies for refugee children 

For the Young at Heart:

We reach the unreached. 

We go to the tricky places, to the people in informal settlements and the refugees beyond the reach of bigger organisations. 

We put Arabic-English books explaining and unpuzzling war into refugee children's hands ourselves. 

We are fast. We deliver books hot off the press. 

We have distributed 22,000 books to refugee and vulnerable children in the last 18 months.

We distribute to formal and informal schools, camp schools, and "schools" in informal settlements in the countries neighbouring Syria where the majority of the Refugees find themselves living in limbo. 

We created these books and traumateddies to help children face the realities they see every day, to help them understand their nightmares, and to manage their fears. 

We give children traumateddies and woolly clothes- knitted by lovely ladies across the UK and Ireland. 

We help with books that promote literacy, language, trauma and play. 

We give books to children who know nothing but war, and living with the impact of war.

We do not discriminate. Every child gets a book.

We make a difference.*  

*We know this because the teachers and students who volunteer to teach refugee children keep asking us to come back with more books.

We are now asked to donate books to children doubly displaced -that means they have had to move and seek refuge in a new place more than once - in Europe. 

We don't want to let any of them down.  

We share our adventures and our book and trauamteddy distributions with pictures on www.twitter.com/brehonadvisory 

We do this because every child needs an opportunity to learn and to love to read. 

You can help us. 

You can knit traumateddies for us - if you are time rich. 

You can donate money to fund more books - if you are time poor. 

You can be our champion  - follow us on social media if you too are learning to read and deal with nighmares and just like children's books. 

You can help us print more books, and knit more teddies, and woolly jumpers (or sweaters, if you're American). 

You can start to learn the ABCs of Arabic here with a child-friendly video of Arabic ABCs.

For the grown ups: 

We at Brehon Advisory in partnership with Asala Publishers create, publish, distribute and educate with bilingual Arabic-English books that deal with the effects of trauma, dislocation and war for Syrian refugees and vulnerable host community children.   100% of donations received go to produce  the books and traumateddies. 

Here's what Education Journal Middle East says about us in their September 2015 issue: http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?eid=41d0086d-925f-4a45-8468-932b9932d88b&pnum=38

The technical stuff: The books are created by a team of PhD and ABD people (that means we love books so much we lived in a library for at least a decade). 

  • The books are written in Arabic first by a professor of child psychology. 
  • The books are shaped by talented Arab illustrators. 
  • The book are edited by English language professors and academic translators.
  • The books are the brain child of  a rogue professor of government in collaboration with a leading  children's book publisher. 
  • The books are distributed with an Arabic story teller wearing traditional dress. 
  • The traumateddies are knit by ladies across the UK and Ireland. 
  • The wool for the traumateddies is currently donated by an anonymous donor.
  • The woolly clothes, jumpers and sweaters, are created and delivered with love to the children we encounter where we see the greatest need.  (1,500 items to date).
What the teachers, schools and refugee volunteers tell us:

"We would be grateful for support with more books for teaching English to beginners and intermediate level." Irbid, Jordan (Headmistress) 

“You delivered. The psychology students read the books to the children. It was very good. I am glad. Thank you.” Chatilla, Beirut Lebanon (Headmistress)

“We will put a copy of each book in the library so that all the students can read the stories at school as well as at home.” 
Headmaster International College, (Bedawi)

“We think this project is a success. Thank you once again for including us in it. Please do let us know when this activity will be repeated in future as we would love to stay part of it .Please bear us in mind in future.” Relief & Reconciliation ( Bekaa).

“It was our pleasure to have you at our centers in Beirut and in Bekaa, we appreciate your great job ...God Bless your efforts.” 
"Great. Thanks so much for your continued support."  
(Beirut Bekaa) Jusoor 

“There is a primary school in my hometown that would benefit from the books. Let's make it work” (UNICEF)




Here's how to knit your traumateddy 

Trauma Teddy Knitting Pattern

Stuff:

Needle Size 10 3.25mm (or nearest)

Double Knitting Wool  (Yarn)

-Ideally 4 colours  (main colour for head and paws, trouser colours, jumper colour and scarf colour if you want a cosy teddy).

Step-by-Step:

1.  Cast on 10 stitches in main colour. Knit 10 rows (paw).

2.  Change to the trouser colour and Knit 30 rows. Make a second trouser leg the same way.

3.  Knit across all 20 stitches and work 16 rows.

4.  Change to jumper colour and Knit 24 rows.

5.  Change to the main colour for the head. Stocking stitch  for 5 1/2inches.

6.  Change to jumper colour and revert to garter stitch. Knit 24 rows.

7.  Change to trouser colour. Knit 16 rows.

8.  Knit 10 stitches. – put remaining 10 stitches on a holder

9.  Knit 30 rows.

10.  Change to colour for paw. Knit 10 rows. Cast off.

11.  Pick up 10 stitches from holder. Knit 30 Rows. Change to main Colour for paw. Knit 10 rows. Cast off.

12.  To make arms, using jumper colour. Pick up 8 stitches either side of right hand side neck/head join 16 stitches. Knit 20 rows. Change to main colour, Knit 10 rows for paws. Repeat on Left side.

13.  Sew up teddy leaving a hole in the crotch.  PLEASE STUFF WITH EU APPROVED TOY STUFFING and stitch closed.

14.  Sew diagonal top corners of head for ears.

15.  Embrodier a happy teddy face.

16.  For the scarf, cast on 60 stitches. Knit 4 rows and cast off. Then tie the scarf onto the teddy and sew securely to the back of the neck.

Helpful Links:

Garter stitch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKRAJEj7lcI

Purl – stocking stitch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1gWJGGZbO4


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Choose your Perk

Tailor made Trauma Teddy

$250 USD
Do you want your very own traumateddy? When you donate $250 you can request a Traumateddy of your very own. We will contact you and if you wish we will create a traumateddy for you to have. Your donation of $250 will enable us to print more bi-lingual books for more refugee children. Every donation counts, and the more funds we receive the more books we can make. We will knit and send your traumateddy to you as a thank you for your contribution.
Estimated Shipping
December 2015
0 out of 20 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

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