Innocence Undone

Hi,My name is Safa and I am from Aleppo. In 2012 my family and I were forced to flee the city when the fighting engulfed my neighborhood. After relocating to the small border town of Atmeh, near the Turkish border, I began to visit a camp for the displaced. Over the course of the following year I conducted dozens of drawing sessions with the children of the camp. The art they produced provided a raw, unfiltered view into the horror the war has wrought. Helicopters droppings bombs, homes destroyed, people lying dead were all commons images created by the children. I knew at that moment the people of the world needed to see these images, and since 2012 I've displayed the drawings in art galleries in Europe and North America. It's now been three years since I last visited the camp, but the children I met still haunt me. I know many are likely still in the camp, with little hope of a resolution to their plight. I've decided in the spring of 2017 I will return to the camp to revisit the children and the project. I plan to see how life in a camp affects the mind of a child over a long period of time. I intend to once again conduct the drawing sessions to gain insight, and hopefully provide an escape from their lives, if even for just a moment. As a mother and full-time student this trip will not be possible without your support, and so I am asking for donations. All funds raised will be spent on art supplies for the drawing sessions, and transportation to and from the camp. With your help we can give a voice to children who have been forgotten by the world. When I first began visiting the camp in 2012 each family I met had a tragic story to share, their homes destroyed, their lives upended. I saw children who had nothing, no school, no toys, and only the clothes on their backs. Some children occupied themselves by playing in the dirt with stones, while others too traumatized from the experiences that led them to the camp sat alone, staring into the distance. My family was lucky, we had a small house in the town, but with little to no work for my father, brothers, and myself life was a struggle. Still, with the little I did have I was determined to attempt to make a difference for the children in the camp. I began buying colors and paper, and returned to the camp every opportunity I could find. At first the parents and children were skeptical, some asking why I wasn't bringing more practical supplies such as food and clothing. However, once the children began to draw it became clear. Some who had not spoken since arriving in the camp began to open up and speak with me. I realized at that point for many of the children I was the first adult to give them attention and listen to their memories. From then on I made a point of speaking with each child as they created their drawing. This became a therapeutic process, and soon I found the children eagerly awaiting me each time I visited them. This is why my heart now aches not knowing what has become of them. I want to return to the children, to tell them they are not forgotten, and that I have been working all this time to try to help to change their situation. By making a donation you are sending your love and prayers to children who have nothing at all.