Make a Worry Doll -- Tell the Senate That
Women's Rights Are Human Rights -- Ratify CEDAW!
Join Us in Crafting 10,000 Worry Dolls
for the 10,000 Mothers We Lose Each Week
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| A simple worry doll made with popsicle sticks and thread |
Throughout the world, discrimination against women and girls is pervasive, and its impact is devastating. Of the world's 1.3 billion poorest people, 70 percent are female. Violence against women is prevalent: one in three women worldwide will experience assault, rape or other abuse during her lifetime. Two-thirds of the world’s 771 million illiterate adults are women. Due to lack of adequate health care, more than 530,000 women die each year from pregnancy-related complications – one every minute.
CEDAW establishes international protections against these abuses: it offers women redress against violence, guarantees equal access to education, and commits nations to fighting maternal mortality. Yes the United States remains one of the only countries that has not ratified CEDAW.
One woman lost to pregnancy-related complications every minute means more than 10,000 maternal deaths every week -- and those statistics are cause for urgent concern and attention. In Mayan tradition (and in some other indigenous communities around the world) one way to deal with worry is to make a "worry doll" -- a simple doll made with a few popsicle sticks or a clothes-pin and some yarn or thread.
AIUSA members around the country are crafting these worry dolls. Join us in crafting 10,000 worry dolls to symbolize the 10,000 mothers we lose every week! Next year, we'll deliver them to the Senate to push them to finally ratify CEDAW and protect women's human rights.
Be sure to take pictures of yourselves with your completed worry dolls! Email them to us at demanddignity@amnestyusa.org.
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| Northeast Region Field Organizer Thenjiwe McHarris with her worry doll! |
- DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, WV:
AIUSA Mid-Atlantic Office
Attn: Demand Dignity Campaign
600 Pennsylvania Ave. SE 5th Fl.
Washington DC 20003 - IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI:
AIUSA Mid-West Office
Attn: Demand Dignity Campaign
53 West Jackson Suite #731
Chicago IL 60604 - CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, VT, RI:
AIUSA Northeast Office
Attn: Demand Dignity Campaign
58 Day Street
Davis Square
Somerville, MA 02144 - AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX:
AIUSA Southern Office
Attn: Demand Dignity Campaign
730 Peachtree Street NE Suite 1060
Atlanta, GA 30308 - AK, AS, AZ, CA, CO, GU, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY:
AIUSA Western Office
Attn: Demand Dignity Campaign
350 Sansome St. Suite 210
San Francisco CA 94104
Be sure to prominently include your return address on the package, so we can send a message directory to your senator!
WE NEED YOUR WORRY DOLLS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BUT NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 10 SO THAT WE CAN GET READY TO DELIVER THEM TO CONGRESS!
How to Make a Worry Doll
Materials
- Two popsicle sticks
- Colored yarn or embroidery thread
- Glue
- Scissors
- Colored markers
Procedure
- Cut one of the popsicle sticks in half, for the "arms".
- Attach the arms about 3/4 of the way up the second popsicle stick, just below the "neck".
- Draw a face and hair on the top of the popsicle stick (its "head").
- Cut two lengths of yarn (or thread).
- Put glue on the "neck" of the doll and attach one end of one piece of yarn. Let the glue dry.
- Wrap the yarn around the arms and torso of the doll to make a "shirt". Attach the end of the yarn with glue.
- Put glue just below the shirt and attach one end of the other piece of yarn. Let the glue dry.
- Wrap the yarn around the "legs" of the doll to make pants. Attach the end of the yarn with glue.
- Let the whole thing dry.
- You're done!
Variations
- Glue and wrap additional yarn to give your doll a more colorful shirt or pants.
- Give the worry doll hair made with yarn or thread, rather than marker.
- Instead of a popsicle stick for the doll's body, use a wooden clothespin (preferably with a rounded top). You can leave out the arms if you want.
- Instead of popsicle sticks, use matchsticks or toothpicks, for a smaller worry doll, or tongue depressors, for a larger one.
Further Information About Worry Dolls
- Basics about worry dolls (Wikipedia)
- Making worry dolls using toothpicks (Associated Content)
- Making more intricate worry dolls using craft sticks, clothespins, and wire jewelry (Disney Family Entertainment)
