Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Big-hearted Bahraini graphic designer and illustrator Reem Al-Hajri is putting her artistic talents to work as she creates totes for a furry cause.
The 33-year-old living in Muharraq, who has used her colourful creations in support of countries in crisis - such as for Australia during the bushfires and Lebanon after the port explosion - is using her sketching skills to raise funds for an animal charity in the kingdom.
“I wanted to create something that could be sold to raise funds for Bahrain Rescues, after learning about their growing veterinary bills,” said Reem, who has a cat called Snow. “I wanted to do something that could help.
“I came up with the idea by thinking who would be the target audience for this and clearly it’s animal lovers. That’s why the tote bag features a certified animal lover stamp!”
Her illustrations feature an image of a puppy, kitten and parrot along with the stamp. People can contact Reem by Instagram to get a BD7 tote which will be produced at a printing press. The totes will be sent to the Bahrain Rescues shelter in Manama and the volunteers there will then deliver the purchases. The delivery will happen within two weeks’ time.
The Bahrain Rescues, a non-profit organisation, has around 20 volunteers that use their own resources and donations to buy food and litter, to pick up, treat and rehome animals that have been injured or abandoned. They have around 50 dogs and around 20 cats living in a shelter, as well as a donkey.
In the past few years, the group has helped rehome more than 100 animals – everything from Rottweilers to hamsters. However, many of the animals living there need medical care and they use all the funding they can muster to cover their fees.
Mojda Banahi, the group’s public relations and spokesman, who works in the financial sector, said: “We had an amazing 2020 despite the pandemic, in fact staying at home brought a lot of people to the realisation that they are capable of having a new furry family member added to the equation, despite the long-term commitment they must make.
“Stepping into the New Year, we were cautiously optimistic because although we have bills piling up that sometimes feel are beyond our control, we are also blessed to have so many people step up and support us in their own way.
“One of the initiatives is Reem’s art. Her selling her totes and donating the proceeds will help us in getting some of our cases that are still undergoing treatment get checked to graduate into the adoption stage.
“We have been struggling to transition our pending cases as our focus was primarily on settling some of our bills in order to take in emergencies. However, Reem is one of the people using her talent and tools to support us. We are very grateful to her and other local talents and heroes for going out of their way and taking it upon themselves to use whatever resources they have to give to our rescues.
“Reem and other supporters do not wait for our cries for help but take matters into their own hands and that’s what makes them our heroes.”
The etymology of the word tote is ‘to carry’ and can be traced back to the 17th century ... and Reem plans to carry on. Reem’s totes for a cause will continue for as long as there is demand. “I hope to have this project run for as long as there is an interest in purchasing the tote bags,” she said. “I’d like to raise as much as possible to help.”
The tote bag that we recognise today has its origins in the 1940s when US company LL Bean created its first bag for carrying ice and wood. This sturdy, practical, canvas ‘ice bag’ was made to last and nowadays it’s considered a stylish fashion item too.
For details, follow
@rebelreasonryhme.art on Instagram.
