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Bahraini brothers Nasser and Nayef Nass have donated an array of their tie-dye tops to a local shelter with the aim of raising awareness and funds for their strays.
The Ibn Khuldoon National School students from Hamala, who had jumped on the psychedelic-printed tie-dye trend last summer, believed giving back to the Bahrain Rescues was right up their alley, especially as they live in an animal-loving household.
They have three dogs, four ponies, three parrots, 10 rabbits
and a sugar glider.
“We were thinking about a charity that we could donate to and because of the love we have for animals we decided to help a local shelter,” explained Nayef, seven. “We made shirts for the Bahrain Rescues because we wanted to create a fun way to raise money for the shelter.”
Tie-dye, synonymous with the hippie heydays of the 60s representing peace and love, particularly grew in popularity during quarantine time as many picked up the do-it-yourself colourful craft while stuck at home.
The process typically consists of folding, twisting, pleating, or crumpling fabric or a garment and binding with string or rubber bands, followed by application of dye.
The do-it-yourself craft is characterised by the use of bright, saturated primary colours and bold patterns. These patterns include the spiral, mandala, and peace sign as well as the use of multiple bold colours.
With the help of their mum Nouf Abdulrahim, 35, a director at sanitary ware products, accessories and bathroom design companies, they managed to donate 30 T-shirts in several shades of tie-dyed pinks and blues with hints of green, featuring the Bahrain Rescues logo.
The Bahrain Rescues is a non-profit organisation that includes 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 the cost.
Their plight was particularly important to the Nass family as Nouf herself grew up with animals as a child and her boys also want to encourage kindness and empathy towards strays.
Nouf added: “The children believe being kind to animals is very important because animals are helpless and need our love and care. Animals that are on the streets face a lot of challenges and we are very grateful to the local shelters such as Bahrain Rescues and government bodies for all their efforts in helping out animals in need. It is also part of the community’s responsibility to also help out and add to their efforts.
“I grew up in a home with a lot of pets as a young child, and I could say that animals teach you a different type of love and understanding that you cannot get from human interactions alone. I wanted my children to experience the same and that is the reason why we love and appreciate animals so much.
“Nasser and Nayef hope to see more people involved with the cause, especially children, in order for them to understand a different meaning of love, empathy, affection and the gift of giving.”
Of the 30 T-shirts, only two remain for sale at the shelter. For details, message @bahrain_rescues on Instagram.
Meanwhile, the big-hearted brothers are planning to create more merchandise to support the furry cause.
“We definitely plan to create more fun merchandising for Bahrain Rescues to help them raise money for their animals and perhaps encourage other children to do the same,” added nine-year-old Nasser. “I hope this will encourage other kids to do a fun activity for a good cause too.”
