REFIF ISLIM

Gaza- Many women of Gaza earn a livelihood by making Amigurumi toys. 33-year-old Basma Mehmud is one of them. She learned how to make Amigurumi toys at school. She uses yarn, crochet hooks, needles, and glue as well as toy accessories to make Amigurumi toys. She knits or crochets legendary characters using this art to earn a livelihood.

Customers encourage her

Basma is now a professional in knitting Amigurumi toys. “There isn’t any center in Gaza to teach Amigurumi,” Basma told us she improved herself in making Amigurumi toys by watching videos. “My customers encouraged me to keep making the toys.”

“Making a big size Amigurumi doll takes a month”

Basma told us that making a small size Amigurumi doll takes a week but, “Making a big size Amigurumi doll sometimes takes a month. Some families ask me to make Amigurumi dolls that look like their children. For this reason, they send me pictures of their children. Not only families but also young women send me their pictures to make Amigurumi dolls for them.” The prices of the Amigurumi toys vary depending on the size of the toys. Some of them are 10 dollars while some of them are 50 dollars. Basma complains about the high prices of the materials.

Basma wants to have a workshop to teach how to make Amigurumi toys and a shop to sell her toys.