The Memory Project:  

The Memory Project began in 2004. The program invites high school art students to cultivate global kindness by creating portraits as special gifts for children around the world who have faced war, violence, poverty, neglect, family loss, or other challenges. These portraits help the children feel valued and important, show them that many people care about their wellbeing, and provide them with a special childhood memory for the future. They have coordinated the delivery of 160,000+ portraits to children in 55 countries. 

What we learned:

Our Del Val students chose to connect with Rohingya refugee children from Myanmar who are now living in Malaysia. To learn more please check out  https://www.memoryproject.org/malaysia

Over the past decade, more than 175,000 people from ethnic and religious minorities–such as the Rohingya people from Myanmar–have landed in Malaysia with hopes of escaping violence and persecution. Though they have found safety in Malaysia, they do not have legal status or rights. They often live in impoverished pockets of large cities, earning money for food in any way they can. Their children are not entitled to education or healthcare. The Memory Project partnered with a charity that runs a school for these children, offering them both education and hope. The portraits that our students created send a message of kindness, respect, and encouragement from a distant place. We are empowering our students to learn more about their world, break cultural barriers and cultivate kindness through their creativity. 

Thank you and congratulations Anna, Carol Anne, Emma, Gianna, Hannah, Jordan, Rachel, Matt, and Liam.

You make the world a better place. 

Contribution by Sarah Ruppert, Art Teacher