Guyanese women who, often against considerable odds, persist in seeking to transform their passion for the art and craft industry into thriving business ventures can draw inspiration from the pursuits of Haitian American entrepreneur Yelitsa Jean-Charles, the founder of the US company, Healthy Roots Dolls, who disclosed recently that her dolls are now sold at the 1,200 Target stores across the United States and are also available online.
Established in 2019, Healthy Roots Dolls creates dolls and story books that seek both to empower young black girls and to help reflect the concept of beauty in diversity. With more than 65 per cent of the world’s population having curly/wavy hair, the advent of Healthy Roots Dolls emerged from a 2016 study that found that only four (4) out of ten (10) girls loved their curls. “Toys impact how we think, act, and perceive ourselves. So when girls can’t find dolls that look like them, it negatively impacts their self-esteem; that’s why we created Zoe, the first Healthy Roots doll,” a promotional write-up from the company states.