After gathering together one to two hundred kids from the tent city, the WRC team led an afternoon of activities in the big church tent. We sang songs, put on a skit, and played games. I decided to bring paper and crayons for those who might want to color too. The response was enormous. Nearly everyone wanted to draw, including many adults.
To my surprise, everyone came and handed their work to me (or one of the other volunteers) when they had finished. I tried to explain they could keep their work, but they insisted on handing it in. They were gifting the art back to me. Their desire to create and then to give the beautiful objects away they had just made overwhelmed me in its generosity. I have and treasure almost all of the three hundred drawings created.
The subject matter of the drawings varied, but common themes included hearts, houses, flowers, trucks (every little boy drew one), and plants. Despite the suffering and the difficulties these people have experienced, beauty and hopeful words such as "God is good", "God loves you", "transcended the pieces. Here are a few samples:
Thank you to the Haitian artists who made these! I hope to make a series of paintings based off the shapes, colors, and themes presented in these drawings to raise awareness about Haiti.
Another view of the tent:
