Artfinder’s global community of 9,000 artists sent a message of hope to Syrian children by posting hundreds of handmade postcards to their refugee camp. Artfinder investor Tatiana Ojjeh spent the winter holiday running art workshops with children in Akkar, Lebanon, working with Syrian refugee education charity Malaak.
Tatiana put the call out to artists via Artfinder’s artist forum the day before she travelled out, on 19 December. Over 100 artists responded, sending hundreds of postcards with one word messages, which were easy to translate, such as ‘love’ ‘faith’ and ‘hope.’
Tatiana commented: “In those few days before Christmas, there were hundreds of amazing people around the world who took the time in doing something to uplift children and families I was about to visit. We didn’t know if the post would reach us in this tricky location, but, sure enough, the postcards started arriving – and day after day, they just kept flooding in. It was the talk of the town. This remarkable gesture of compassion and care poured in from across the globe, and I can’t say how joyful it was to receive these 'letters of love’ and the celebration we ALL felt in our hearts upon opening them. I am proud to be part of Artfinder, to see what a tech company can do for bettering humanity, through humanity, connecting us in beautiful ways.”
Asma Rasamny from Malaak commented: “Over the past few weeks our students have received inspirational postcards from artists. Each and every postcard conveyed a powerful message to the students reminding them that people all over the world are thinking of them. Their work has reinforced our message that art and creativity are so critical to their development and a means to slowly overcome some of their darker memories.”
Once again, we'd like to thank all artists who took part in this incredible project. Below are a selection of images that Tatiana took on her trip below.
If you'd like to donate to Malaak please visit their website.
