Almanac—World & News—TIME For Kids Magazine World Report Edition

WORLD REPORT EDITION IN THE NEWS
Priceless Toys

Crafty kids in poor countries make playthings that money can't buy

This doll from India, was made by Reena, 13. She used wire, thread and cardboard and molded the doll's face. The dress and hair are made of jute, a plant fiber.

Imagine growing up without puzzles, a Playstation or a Poo-Chi. What would you do in a world without toys? Well, you just might have to make your own. In places where there are no toy stores or where people can't afford such luxuries, creative children turn old soda cans, twigs, wire and other castaway junk into toys.

John F. Schultz of the Christian Children's Fund was in Kenya, Africa, when he first saw one of these "trash" treasures. A boy was sailing a boat made of an old flip-flop. Schultz was so impressed that he asked the Fund's international offices to collect such homemade toys.

Now these toys made by poor children as far away as Africa and Asia are in the U.S. The "Not Sold in Stores" exhibit will be at California's Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles until the end of April. From there, it will go to museums in Dallas, Texas; Washington, D.C.; and New York City.

April 27, 2001 Vol.6 No.25