Dubai: Nannies, cleaners earn up to Dh1,500 extra income by making dolls

A group of female blue-collar workers in Dubai are earning a second income by sewing crochet dolls. Styled in bright colourful yarn outfits and long wiry hair, several of these dolls have been bought by corporates and individuals – earning one of the participants about Dh1,500, which is more than her monthly income as a housekeeping staff.

SmartLife Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation based in Dubai, taught the women living at Sonapur how to crochet. Classes were held for an hour on Saturdays, and recently, a share of the revenue from the sale of the crochet dolls was handed over to the women.

For Rima Kumari, a Nepalese housekeeping staff in Dubai, the day turned out to be joyous and rewarding. From the sale of her 34 crochet dolls, she earned Dh1,450. “It's unbelievable for me that I can earn by stitching dolls. I was hooked on crocheting from day one and would spend all my leisure time sewing these dolls,” she told

While in Nepal, Kumari knew basic stitching, but learnt crochet from the volunteers in the camp. She was an enthusiastic learner and picked up the stitches and styles quite effortlessly, and could even guide other women in crochet patterns. “I work a 12-hour shift every day. But once I am back in my room, I spend all my time crocheting. Now I can make an entire doll within three to four hours,” she shared.

The only breadwinner of her family, Kumari has been working in Dubai for nine years and earns around Dh1,000. She lost her parents at a young age and supports six of her siblings back home. “I am planning to send the money I earned from the sale of the dolls to Nepal in time for my family to celebrate the upcoming festivals of Dussehra and Diwali,” she added.

Shanti Gurung, also from Nepal, works as a cleaner in Dubai and has benefited from the crochet classes by not only picking up a new hobby but also one that gets her extra dirhams.

“I really enjoy crochet. We start with looping in the doll’s shoes first with a single crochet stitch and then weave on to create its body, the dress and its hair,” shared Gurung, who created 10 dolls in the last three months.

“I click lots of pictures of the entire creative process of crocheting the dolls, their dresses, hats and hair and keep sharing them with my husband and kids,” she added.

The crochet dolls campaign is part of a pilot project called Smart Hands helmed by Swaroopa Rex, one of the co-founders of SmartLife Foundation. Rex thought of the crochet dolls initiative as an alternative to store-bought gifts that were given to guests during several of the foundation's events.

“I felt that handmade products crafted by the workers would be a memorable keepsake for our guests. I knew how to crochet and decided to teach women to create these dolls,” she told

Crocheting dolls takes both time and effort. Each doll requires over 5,000 meticulously crafted stitches. The first green flag for the project was the fact that the women were able to replicate the designs perfectly, resulting in a bunch of aesthetically appealing dolls, each standing 12 inches tall.

Rex shared: “Once the first batch of dolls were completed, we shared the pics on several WhatsApp groups. To my surprise, a lady booked 25 dolls as return gifts for her daughter's birthday. That first sale was a big motivator for us and showed us the potential of the dolls to churn an additional income for these women.”

The women now earn a share of the profit every three months when the dolls are sold. The aim of the project is to help them learn a new skill, be more disciplined, and earn a steady income through entrepreneurship.

“This craft can be handy for them even after their retirement,” Rex noted, adding: “Each woman is provided with a box with needles and balls of yarn. They also found holistic way to engage their time and release stress. Research too supports that crocheting and knitting help cultivate positive mental well-being and alleviate anxiety, depression and even insomnia.”

Sita Sunuwar, who works as a nanny in a school, feels her spare time, is being used productively. “Earlier, I would spend hours surfing my phone and watching social media aimlessly. But now, I am totally engrossed in sewing dolls. Crochet also makes me feel happy and grateful.”