In war-torn, poverty-stricken, or AIDS-inflicted countries, many children are forced to deal with emotions that many adults around the world will never have to face. How do these kids formulate and express their feelings?
Save the Children‘s Healing and Education Through Art (HEART) program was established to help these children cope through the arts. Funded by the Charles Engelhard Foundation, pilot programs were placed in Mozambique, the West Bank and El Salvador. Save the Children announced Wednesday that HEART will be extended to Haiti, Malawi and Nepal in 2010.
“Save the Children is very grateful for this award, which will allow us to set up an endowment for our global arts education and therapy program for children facing very challenging circumstances,” said Heather Simpson, senior director for Education and Child Development of Save the Children, in a news release. “Some children are so young, they cannot yet articulate what they have experienced or are feeling, and the HEART program gives them a voice to work through their emotional distress and help them cope creatively. This endowment will allow us to expand our HEART program globally to reach even more vulnerable children.”
The program brings together local teachers, psychologists, social workers, counselors and visual arts organizations and schools. Together they give the children the guidance they need to express themselves through art.
“Children need to feel free to express whatever happens to them — good or bad. But I cannot force them to express their feelings or thoughts,” said Veronica, a school teacher in Mozambique. “Still, I am surprised at how much young children remember what they see and hear, but do not have the language to express themselves.”
HEART is able to expand to Haiti, Malawi and Nepal thanks to a $5.9 million endowment. Save the Children has pledged to raise another $5 million for a combined $10.9 million over the next six years. In addition to incorporating the program into emergency relief efforts, training local professionals will establish the HEART program in education and early childhood development curriculum, solidifying HEART in ongoing efforts.
Photo by Ahmed El-Nemr for Save the Children via Facebook.