Author Archives: Uthando Project
Opening Hours Anderson Road Community Centre Forrestfield
Our Centre will be CLOSED on Friday 5th November as our volunteers are required elsewhere.
Normal opening hours will resume on Monday 8th November.
Mondays 1pm – 3pm
Fridays 10:00am – 2:00pm
Friday 3rd December, 2021 will be the final date and we will be closed through the festive season. 2022 opening dates and times will be posted in January 2022.
Opening Hours 2021
Opening hours for our headquarters Anderson Road Community Centre, 24 Anderson Road Forrestfield are:
Mondays 1pm – 3pm commencing Monday 8th February 2021. Public Holidays Excluded.
Fridays 10:00am – 2:00pm commencing Friday 26th February 2021.
End of Year Open Hours for Headquarters, Anderson Road Community Centre Forrestfield WA
Temporary Change to Open hours
With our recent shipment now on it’s way to KZN Our volunteers are taking a well earned break from delivery and sorting tasks.
Our Centre at Anderson Road Forrestfield will be closed on Monday 2nd November 2020 and Monday 16th November 2020.
SHIPPING NEWS
Temporary Closure
Our centre at 24 Anderson Road Forrestfield (Anderson Road Community Centre) will be closed on Friday 25th September 2020. Normal opening times for Friday 10:00am to 2:00pm will resume the following week Friday 2nd October 2020
SALE! SALE! SALE!
To celebrate the reopening of our Headquarters in the Anderson Road Community Centre, Forrestfield, we are offering for a limited time only, our book “100 dolls Countless Hearts for the children of KwaZulu Natal for the very special price of just $5 (PICK UP ONLY and CASH ONLY) from 24 Anderson Road Forrestfield WA
Open for sales Fridays 10 am – 2pm
Next Shipment from Western Australia
Our next shipment of dolls to KwaZulu Natal, the first we have been able to send since December 2019 is now scheduled!
To be included in this shipment completed dolls need to be received at our Headquarters, Anderson Road Community Centre, 24 Anderson Road, Forrestfield WA on or before Monday 21st September, 2020.
Dolls can be delivered to the Anderson Road Centre on Mondays 1pm – 3pm or Fridays 10am – 2pm.
Dolls may also be posted to our postal address: PO Box 118 Forrestfield WA 6058.
Anderson Road Opening Hours
We are pleased to advise that our Headquarters in the Anderson Road Community Centre, 24 Anderson Road Forrestfield, Western Australia, is open again!
Opening hours are: Monday 1:00pm – 3:00pm (Closed on public holidays).
Friday 10:00am – 2:00pm.
COVID-19 procedures are in place including a 10 person limit in the main meeting room.
Bunbury WA 2020

Uthando Project would like to thank Deborah Campbell, who after eight years of co-ordinating the wonderful dollmakers group in Bunbury WA, is moving on to other local community art works. Deb’s tireless commitment to making dolls, recruiting and sharing your skills with others and managing fundraising events has ensured that hundreds of children in KwaZulu Natal have been able to receive a doll of their own. We will miss her visits to our Perth cente, her car packed to the rafters with bags of dolls ready for shipment. Will be looking out for you Deb, at Bunbury art events, especially Tree Street Safari!
Covid 19
In line with current community efforts being made to reduce the risk of Corona virus spread, Headquarters at Anderson Road Community Centre in Forrestfield WA will be closed, until further notice.
We ask that you keep any completed dolls you have made until we are able to reopen.
Dollmaking activities at CWA, Albany WA: Multicultural Centre, Fremantle WA: Sorrento WA, and Cygnet Tasmania have also been suspended.
2019 Festive Season
Uthando Project thanks all our supporters for their commitment and dedication to ensuring more children in KZN can receive a doll. We wish you all a happy and safe festive season and look forward to seeing you again in 2020.
Our headquarters at Anderson Road Community Centre, Forrestfield WA will close Friday 13th December to reopen on Monday February 3rd, 2020 1:30pm to 4pm.
Newsletter
November 2019 Newsletter available to read in our “News” section now! Thanks to all the dollmakers for submitting items and photos of events for sharing.

Classic sewn doll
It works best to make this doll’s body of stretch, knit brown fabric, stuffed to feel firm, but not hard. Click on the heading to see a picture showing the stages of making a doll. You can also look closely at the examples pictured in our Gallery to give you ideas. There are many more fabulous examples in our book “100 DOLLS, COUNTLESS HEARTS” which may be purchased from our shop.
Download the classic-sewn-doll (JPG) pattern (in two parts). Top | Bottom
CHANGE OF ADDRESS
Please note that the postal address for Uthando Project has changed.
Uthando Project now has it’s very own postal box address: Please send all items to us at: Uthando Project, PO Box 118 FORRESTFIELD WA 6058
Simple Doll Pattern
We have designed a new doll, called Simple Doll, which lends itself to a production line system … after Bertha Magoge, TREE director, commented that they see 40,000 children each year! Big thanks to Dolls and Daydreams for the inspiration for this adaptable pattern for boy and girl dolls.
WA Craft Show 2019 Claremont Showgrounds August 2nd,3rd and 4th
http://www.wacraftshow.com.au/
Uthando Project will again be at the WA Craft Fair at Claremont Showgrounds this year. The Craft Fair has combined with the WA Woodwork Fair to bring patrons a huge range of stalls and displays over three days for one ticket price. Follow link for details and to purchase tickets early. Come and visit the Uthando Project stall to talk to our supporters and check out the range of beautifully crafted items we will have for sale. Or sponsor a doll and include a note to the child who will receive it. All proceeds raised contribute to costs of freighting dolls to the children of KwaZulu Natal
Shipping Time!
‘It’s that time of year again. We have thousands more dolls ready for shipment to South Africa later this month and we appreciate any donations that help towards the cost of the freight. Each doll costs about $1.50 to send so a donation of $15 will help send 10 dolls. $100 will ship a whole bag of dolls. Any amount is always appreciated and helps spread the joy of Uthando dolls. Help light up a life! Don’t forget EOFY and all donations are tax deductible!’
Mothers Day 2019
City of Cockburn Library Workshops and Displays September 2018
Many thanks to City of Cockburn for supporting us in hosting dollmaking workshops at Coolbellup Library on Thursday afternoons and for displaying our dolls at Success Library.
Newsletter – June 2018
Albany 2018
Albany Group invited dollmakers to join them for a fun weekend gathering. Never enough time for photos. Many thanks to Laura from CWA holiday units, staff at the Museum of the Great Southern – Albany, Trish and Chris everyone else for helping out.
Newsletter October 2017
Newsletter April 2017
July 2016 Newsletter
Newsletter May 2015
The May 2015 Uthando Newsletter is now online and bumper packed – we hope to see you at one of the many upcoming events in 2015
February 2015 Newsletter
Dear Uthando Dollmakers and Friends,
Are you ready to take on the MAKE A 100 DOLLS IN A DAY Challenge during multicultural Harmony Week, (March 15 – 21) at four venues around Perth? OR would you like to create your own full day of dollmaking with your friends and guests from another culture?
The underlying aim is to make thousands more dolls for the 0 – 4yrs children who come under TREE’s wing. Normally TREE receives 4000 dolls each year, but we learned from Bertha Magoge, Director, at the Retreat last year, that they see 40,000 children in the care of their graduates.
In response to this number, we have designed a new doll, called Simple Doll, which lends itself to a production line system. There has been a truly amazing result from Lynne Fish and Marcia Watson, Sorrento group, of 1100 Simple dolls having been made by them in the past few months. What more can be said?? With this newsletter comes the pattern for Boy and Girl Simple Doll and the list of events where hundreds of dolls could be made. Please copy and give to friends. Especially RSVP with your name and your guest’s name for joining in at least one of these events.
If you don’t live in Perth, please consider arranging your own special dollmaking day at any time. Set your own target, date, venue and go for it. It will make a precious, feel good day.
Uthando can supply material for brown skin and the stuffing. More fabrics if needed, too. Print out the pattern here to make templates.
The Albany Group is already underway in partnership with Soroptimists International with 100 Women, 100 Dolls at the Vancouver Arts Centre.
This 100 DOLLS IN A DAY Challenge is a major event for Uthando 2015 and is specifically for TREE.
Be reassured that all types of Uthando dolls are still needed. Remember NO buttons or beads on dolls for the young ones.
During last term and over the holidays, the most wonderfully creative dolls arrived from many primary and secondary schools to be shipped in April. Enjoy the originality and skills acquired by students.
In the pipeline are an Exhibition of Uthando dolls and African artefacts in July and another Retreat at Serpentine, September 11 – 13. More anon. Express interest? See below.
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March 24, venue to be confirmed in Perth, is a screening of a gripping documentary touring Australia titled Beyond Right and Wrong: Stories of Justice and Forgiveness. Uthando Project is being one of the charity partners. You can watch it online and a portion is given to Uthando. Please contact if you want links, tickets or be a volunteer.
May 2015 be hugely productive for all Uthando dollmakers and a sense of partnership for all our friends,
Love, Georgia Efford, the Board and the Friday team. CONTACT info@nulluthandoproject.org or Georgia 08 9293 2363
To download this newsletter, the 100 Dolls flyer and simple doll pattern , please click here
100 Dolls in a Day Events March 2015
To celebrate Harmony Week, we will be hosting several “100 Dolls in a Day” events in March 2015.
Insightful Review of Uthando Book
An insightful review of our book “100 Dolls, Countless Hearts” describes the KwaZulu Natal context of purposeful dollmaking by Uthando Project, admires the patterns and lives of the dollmakers.