Corona: Women in Prison Make Healthcare Dolls to Feed their Families

Female prisoners in Mexico are making soft toys and dolls dressed as healthcare staff to raise funds that help gear up health workers, while also earning income for themselves and their families.

The female inmates have been making and selling crafts in return for money to buy clothes, food, or send money to their children. But with the coronavirus pandemic shutting down shops, prisons were forced to limit visitors from bringing in supplies and money. In response, La Cana, a social enterprise that sells the soft toys female prisoners make, have come up with a way to tackle the drop in income, launching a new set of toys dressed as doctors and nurses wearing face masks.

“We thought of this … not just to give them more work but also so they could contribute something positive to society,” says Daniela Ancira, co-founder of La Cana.

The money doesn’t just go to administrative costs and the 143 women who make them, but a good third goes to buying protective equipment for medical workers.