New Connections & Collaborations

Photo Courtesy of In Movement: Art for Social Change

"Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist."

-- Rene Magritte

New Connections and Collaborations

We are excited to announce our collaboration with In Movement: Art for Social Change,  a registered non-governmental organization (NGO), founded in 2006, that implements arts education programs with orphans and other disadvantaged youth in Uganda.  The goal of In Movement, as established in our 2003 pilot project, is to promote creativity through the arts. They believe that the arts offer a very powerful tool for youth empowerment, unlocking a vast potential for personal growth and transformation, while promoting happier, healthier, and more satisfying lives. What a perfect partnership!   Through In Movement, we will be creating animals for children at the KAYDA orphanage, and facilitating artisan training programs for vulnerable women and youth in Uganda this September.

KAYDA (Katwe Youth Development Association) has developed several initiatives to support homeless, abandoned and orphaned youth/children that spend most of their time on the streets. The organization has established a Drop in Centre, which comprises of five rooms, a carpentry workshop and other two projects for poultry, and Barbershop. The centre has 35 children who regularly drop in and are undergoing behavior change. They get all the basic requirements from the centre. Only girls are fostered with KAYDA Members and if possible reunited back with their families. Since its initiation in 1995, the organization has re integrated more than 120 children back to their families and others live independently. 

We are also also planting the seeds this summer to grow more international crafting cooperatives through collaborations with The HALO Foundation.  HALO  is committed to enhancing the living conditions and providing art therapy for orphans worldwide. HALO provides American youth with opportunities to learn philanthropy and volunteerism by seeing the world through the eyes of the less fortunate.  Orphans supported by HALO are provided food, water, shelter, clothing, education, and art therapy. HALO works with orphanages in Mexico, India, Uganda, Kenya, Nicaragua and residential homes in the United States. Children from these homes submit their artwork to be sold at events in the United States, and aid in raising funds for continued support.

We're recruiting ambassadors and friends to help create over 100 animals for the children at the KAYDA orphanage and HALO's centers in Uganda by August 1, 2012. Sign up today!