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Andile
Dolls that reflect every ability and race
It all started when Andile was looking for a baby doll for her baby niece . She could not find the specific doll she had in mind , namely one that was not a barbie doll , one that was also reflective of her ethnicity – African descent . It was during her search on store shelves in Edmonton that she realized there were no dolls that reflected the people we encounter every day of our lives , and it was a shocking realization ! There were no First Nations dolls , none of African descent , no Asians and none of people with disabiities .
Every day we encounter people of all abilities and ethnicities , she thought . Why is it that this is not reflected in our toy stores ?
An idea was therefore born . Andile ’ s first doll was of African descent with an afrotextured hairstyle . Her second was a batch of baby dolls and one of her first in that collection was a doll with Down syndrome . Andile is an early childhood educator and she has over the years , worked with children with disabilities . She saw this as a perfect opportunity to have them play with dolls that looked like them . She believes that to create societies that are accepting of every race and ability , children should be introduced to dolls of every race and ability ! Dolls that reflect society is likely to remove prejudices , over time .
Albino dolls and dolls with vitiligo were later added to her collection , but her dolls with Down syndrome features are by far the most sought after .
Visit her online store , www . beeyoukids . ca
Bee You Kids beeyoultd @ gmail . com