A first care package goes to Safari in Congo

Post author By ~mimo~
Post date April 13, 2010
12 Comments on A first care package goes to Safari in Congo

The first “by art we live” package is on its way to Safari in Congo!

Safari is one of the child artists profiled by “by art we live” and his story is one that moved me so greatly. Safari (a self chosen name) is a 17 year old demobilized child soldier in the DRC. I met him back in October with the great assistance of UNICEF and MONUC in a center for demobilized child soldiers in Goma. It was during a trip that I took looking for child artists in a beautiful African county ravaged by war. Safari was kidnapped from his home by the armed forces and was made into a child soldier against his will. The experience left him like other child soldiers devastated and emotionally fragile. He is a child who had seen too much and done many unnatural things.

I met Safari through “art” and I met “art” through him. Through painting he found his happy place, a place where he can be a child again, dream again, find hope and inspiration again. He loves color, painting, drawing and being in a state of peace that art allows him.

The UNICEF office in Kinshasa is being kind enough to facilitate the arrival of this first care package to Safari’s hands.

By ~mimo~

Photographer, Art searcher, Motion Designer, traveler.

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12 replies on “A first care package goes to Safari in Congo”

what you are doing is awesome! I believe anyone can change the world, even if it is just for one person at a time…you are changing the world! Thanks for your blog and your selfless efforts
http://www.thecrazylady.wordpress.com I have added you to my blogroll 🙂

i have enjoyed reading thank for sharing your story Greeting.

In it something is. Earlier I thought differently, many thanks for the help in this question.

Superb project! Sincere good wishes to Safari ,may he (and other young enforced soldiers) find peace and happiness again.

I would like to help the children in the Sudan. I will be doing a show on this on WGCH Radio on April 19th.

How can Americans help these children? Anyone with a good source to help reach these innocent people with money and supplies, please advise.

Thank you for writing about this journey for the child, “Safari.”

Hi Ginger,
Of course there are always ways to help. Some children in New York were inspired by this project and they are collecting art supplies and books to send to Congo. You can do that easily through UNICEF. They are doing some incredible work!
Mimo

Wow. Great post, great project. And, the Art Book is so amazing – best coffee table book ever! My mom has it, and I used to flip through it for hours by myself when I was just a kid, and get lost in the pages of beautiful paintings, sculptures…. Wonderful!