WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- Zambi the toy elephant is on a mission to help AIDS orphans in Africa. One of the people instrumental in designing the toy is Stephanie Chesler, a teacher at Bak Middle School of the Arts.
Chesler took a trip to Zambia to help the orphans there do creative art work. Chesler said, "And one of the things that we decided to do was to work on large scale projects so that the children could all participate and look at in the end and say, 'I did some of this.' "
The art work turned out so well, that a friend put the teacher in touch with a toy company. "We took a sheet and we had the kids cut out kind of like snow flakes and used bleach to paint with and that's what Hasbro Toy Company actually used for the inside of the ear," Chesler said.
The art work from Africa was the inspiration for the elephant's ears, feet and bracelet.
"Hasbro decided to go out on a limb, they weren't really sure if this was the right project to introduce at this time because of the economic situation but the need was so great that they decided to go ahead with it anyway. Fifty percent of the proceeds, half of the proceeds go to programs that fight AIDS in Zambia, Africa," Chesler said.
Zambi the elephant is now being sold at Toys R US, Target and at Walmart.
"It has raised children's awareness here at Bak of what is happening, the global issue of AIDS that is happening. Kids of course love this toy," said Chesler
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