When you were a child, did you have a favorite toy or blanket that you carried everywhere - a companion that comforted you were you were sad or scared and shared happy times, too?
Did you ever misplace it or lose it completely? If so, you have a small idea of how devastating it is for children forced to leave their beloved toys behind when their families have to flee their homes. Whether due to a natural disaster or an invading army, the fear and horror is multiplied for the children who must leave behind everything familiar and comforting.
All over the world, children in refugee camps face terrible situations, sometimes without parents or siblings, and almost always without a toy to cuddle.
Having seen the devastation and the resulting losses in Haiti and later in Uganda and Rwanda, Portage resident Steve Lehmann started thinking about what could be done to help.
“If you’re a kid in a camp like the one we saw in Jordan, your life is a barbed wire life,” Lehmann said. “They live in basically square off-white metal boxes that bake in the sun. Yet the children we saw seemed like normal kids. Their parents have a lot of pride and work to keep the children clean. Camp life is harsh and, for most, very dull. Refugees are prohibited from working and there is very little to do. Most refugees have two options: stay here or go back to the violence in Syria. Some choose the latter, despite the dangers.
“These children have had their childhoods ripped from them. I kept wondering what I could do to help restore at least a part of their childhoods. I remember how safe and secure my own childhood was. I had wonderful parents and a shaggy stuffed dog named ‘Boppy.’ I realized that a love object like Boppy is an integral part of life. I wanted to do something that could bring these children some joy.”
Lehmann and his best friend and Valparaiso University roommate, Andrew Jones, began investigating the situation and came up with the idea of Threadies.
Threadies are cuddly patchwork teddy bears, designed to appeal to children’s sense of sight and touch. Once Lehmann and Jones came up with the idea of the stuffed bear, they did extensive research with artists, trauma experts and with refugee children themselves to refine the design.
They worked with such experts as Shawn Smith, the creative genius behind Shawnimals, who helped with the plush design and Dr. Meghan Marsac, a pediatric psychologist and behavioral researcher. She is the Director of Training at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She provided ideas that contributed to the coping kits that will accompany each Thready. They also worked with Anoud Attiyeh, a psychological trauma coordinator.
They partner with International Medical Corps (IMC) to ensure that the Threadies stuffed animals get to children with the greatest need.
Threadies help in several ways. As explained on the website - http://www.threadies.com/,“We work with our friends at Child's Cup Full to manufacture Threadies in the West Bank. Each Thready is hand sewn by a team of refugee artisans. Stable employment brings empowerment and gives these women the ability to pay for their own children’s education.”
Lehmann and Jones recently returned from the Al-Azraq refugee camp in Jordan where the first Threadies were hand-delivered.
They observed the children playing with the stuffed bears and got feedback on the colors and textures the children liked most. All seemed to love the fluffy ears, which are an important aspect of the bears.
Threadies are sold as twins: one for the purchaser and one to be given to a refugee child. Matching fabric on the ears makes the bears twins. The creators’ hope is that the twin aspect of the bears will bring a greater understanding to American children, as well as helping the refugee children.
Lehmann’s mother, Joanne, wrote a poem to accompany the twin that goes to the purchaser. It includes the line, “When you give yours a great big hug, it goes to their twin’s heart.”
With so many creative minds at work, the ideas for further projects have been exploding. Lehmann and Jones foresee Threadies being used in classrooms and libraries to teach American children about life in other countries.
“We’re envisioning board books like ‘Thready Goes to Syria’ or ‘Thready Visits the West Bank,” Lehmann said. “The kids could have a cardboard passport and get a sticker for each country they ‘visit.’ It will be educational but super cute!”
“Global citizenship is something that needs to be taught. Through these books the children can realize that kids all over the world have the same wants and needs. The same things make them happy and the same things make them sad,” Joanne Lehmann added.
Of course there is the matter of money. With 10,000 refugee children in Al-Azraq alone and hundreds of thousands in other camps, creating Threadies for them involves a huge expense.
The creators have been picked up by Kickstarter, a web-based organization that helps promote creative projects. Their website is: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/threadies/threadies-sharing-comfort-with-child-refugees
They have also been contacted by other social media such as BuzzFeed and Upworthy.
To help with this mission, individuals or organizations kcan go to the Threadies website or Threadies on Facebook and order bears.
“It’s important to go on Facebook and Like us. If you like what you see, please share our page. The more publicity, the better,” Lehmann said. “Also you can order the bears online or make a pledge. There are various levels of support. We were launched on Kickstarter on September 10. We have 30 days from that day to raise $20,000.”
As of September 18, they had already raised $13,151 of that money with 22 days to go.
“It’s a simple thing - a teddy bear,” Lehmann said, “But each one can make a huge difference in a child’s life.”