Click on an image for the full size view.

Click here to see all the photos from this project

New Life for Everyone Foundation, ‘El Paraiso Neighbourhood, Ciudad Bolivar, Bogotá,
Colombia
Natalia Pérez

The activity took place on the second Saturday of April. I was very anxious as I was going back to see the kids after a long period of absence. I was not sure if they would recognize me and also I had to rationalize my time to be able to finish the activity that day they because the children were going on Easter-break. It was great to see them much bigger and healthier than in the past. They were very welcoming and showed interest in the activity. The place I am referring to is a foundation called New Life for Everyone, which was created by Economics students from Los Andes University five years ago in order to support children living in difficult conditions in one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Bogotá. As this is not a proper school but rather a place where children go to reinforce their learning after school while their parents work, rules are much more relaxed, especially with us, volunteers who are not teachers but adults who follow the education of the children. I think this is crucial to the success of the activity, as children can express themselves more freely in a space like this than in public schools which are usually characterized by being very top-down and authoritarian, perhaps because this is the only way to handle an average of 50 pupils per teacher, which is the normal ratio in poor areas. The activity was used by us as a means to enhance the self-esteem and self-confidence of the children. This is crucial in this case because their parents tend to neglect them, which makes them highly insecure. The fact they were taking part in an international exhibition in London gave them a certain feeling of being important and valued. After formally introducing the activity and proposing the ‘most important thing in my life as the topic of the painting, kids first started by looking at each other without being secure of what was expected from them. Then I had to emphasize that this was a free activity and that they could draw whatever they wanted. Having brought chocolates was perfect in unblocking the process and it effectively stimulated them to have an idea and then, in secret, to tell me about it. Most of them, especially the girls, referred to their families: my mum, the love of my family, and there was even a case of a sweet girl who was sad because her dad had recently left home so she drew ‘the return of my dad. Unfortunately here, as in most of the poor neighbourhoods of the world, fragmented families are the rule rather than the exception and it is normally understood that children are in all cases the responsibility of the mother.

Another popular topic was the environment, although the boys who chose it did clearly take the topic one from another, as they were sitting next to each other. However, perhaps they truly value the environment precisely because they live in highly polluted places, where green areas are scarce and water sources are not desirable as they are smelly and a source of illnesses. The adults who were there were absolutely fascinated by the paintings the kids made. They were all full of colour and the fact that canvasses were used made the paintings very different than the normal art the kids produce on paper. The children appreciated this too, and they were very proud of their work. As I wanted to support this attitude, I took photos of them with their work. At the end, I gave them the certificates I signed in quite an official way and they received them one by one and looked very satisfied. In conclusion, in my view, the activity gave the kids a great deal of fun but also confidence and satisfaction. The fact that they were aware that their work was about to be exhibited in such a famous and distant place as London made them feel very special, and in my opinion this is exactly what they and probably all children need.

back to top