A collaboration between UNICEF, Kids for Kids, & the children of Guiuan, Eastern Samar to create a Mural in an evacuation center / youth hub for the communities near by.

UNICEF gave us the unique opportunity to visit one of the first communities hit by typhoon yolanda. After 4 years we visited the site to put finishing touches to the evacuation center/youth hub. What was amazing was that for all of the kids, it was their first time to hold a paint brush and paint and yet they created such wonderful artworks. Even if they lost almost everything in the typhoon - homes, clothing, shelter, family - they still managed to find hope in the smallest of things. This is what changed the way we worked at Kids for Kids.

We realized it was no longer just about hope and happiness but promising these kids a better future entailed promising them a better environment. With the philippines being one of the most vulnerable countries affected by climate change, we set out on a lifelong journey to safeguard every child’s right founded upon a safe environment.

The value we learned was creating hope through optimistic action. We collaborated with the local artists in guiuan and kids to come up with uplifting visuals inspired by the things around them. We asked the kids to choose words of affirmation and paint their own flowers and kites which reminded them of hope, and a scene of a sun and waves which reminds them of their coastal areas.

I worked on the base of this design a few weeks before the trip and the goal was to come up with a design that was possible to be used as collaborative art. More than this, I hoped for it to be dynamic enough for the community to put their personal touches to the mural and really feel that they created it. It was one of the most amazing experiences to work with these communities and communicate with them through art.