Monday, August 8, 2022

Walls in Guatemala Looking for Sponsors

 

It's that time of the year again! 

Although it's still summer in my current part of the world and raining there where the other half of my heart belongs (Guatemala), I'm already planning for my upcoming trip to the Land of Eternal Spring. I’ll be there for a couple of months from November on and of course painting a few murals is on top of my list of things ro do. I have a few requests for community murals and while I'm willing to put in my time and expertise, I'm still looking for sponsors help cover the costs. 

One of the projects still looking for $$$ is this one…

When you think of Maya people, it is usually in the context of remote villages high in the
mountains or deep in the jungles of Guatemala. But most Maya nowadays live in cities. And not only in the capital, but in countless smaller towns, rarely visited by tourists. San Martín Jilotepeque is such a town and if you don't have a special reason to visit, you won't get easily get there. I've been there often enough because a friend of mine, Cristy Velasquez, runs a dog shelter there and I bring some donations whenever I can. (Or paint her some dogs, as you can see here…) Cristy takes care of hundreds of dogs on her own and it's a real uphill battle. As often as possible, she organizes a spay clinic to combat the overpopulation of stray dogs and cats. She runs these clinics from a nearby school building, which is how I learned about the existence of Escuelita de Educación Especial

This is a very special school. It currently has about 40 students who come here daily for their lessons, activities and therapy. All students have disabilities and require individual guidance. Ages range from 4 to 25, their disabilities from autism, ADHD, deafness to paralysis.

The school itself has a spacious courtyard. Perfect for a bit of play, but the walls are very bare. Because the students of this school rarely go out, let alone venture out in nature, the plan is to paint a jungle scene with a lot of fauna and flora on the entire wall (22 meters long and about 3 meters high). The painting will make the room appear larger and the greenery will have a calming effect on the students and will make them feel like they are no longer trapped in a concrete jungle.

Any donation towards this project goes towards:

• Materials (paint, brushes and other supplies)

• Material for plastering the wall (the plastering itself will be done by volunteers from San Martín Jilotepeque)

• Compensation for (local) assistant

• Travel costs to and from the destination, within Guatemala

• Accommodation during the painting process


This project is planned to be completed in November-December 2022.

If you are interested in contributing or have any questions, please let me know by email: info@carinsteen.com

You can also donate through Go Fund me, clicking here.

Stay tuned for the next project in need of YOU, coming to you SOON!