There’s a lovely photo of Georgia in the Perth Hills local newspaper, The Echo. She’s sitting in her garden with a copy of A Garden in Gooseberry Hill in her hands! I am so thrilled with this book.

Not everyone knows about the Uthando Project, which is where all proceeds from the sale of this book will be directed. Georgia received an OAM for her humanitarian work with the project, which supports vulnerable children in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, and also offers a great sense of purpose and connection to the many doll-makers here in Australia and around the world. They make culturally appropriate dolls full of life and personality, and also support local doll-making in South Africa.

I have visited our wonderful partner agencies in South Africa, where the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic has brought loss and trauma to many children. We ran doll-making workshops for Zulu grandmothers who are now caring for their grandchildren, workshops which promote the healing and connecting value of play. It was such a joy to work with those amazing women and with our partner teams.

Do take a look at the website: uthandoproject.org. If you’re a doll-maker, you can find patterns there. If you’d like to support in other ways – well, one of those ways is through this book!