Parramos,
Chimaltenango, is a small but vibrant town in Guatemala that not so long ago
wasn´t much more than a large village. Last week, I went there to paint a mural
on the wall of a nursery school, right next to the city hall. It was as noisy
as usual, much hotter than normal in November and the wall considerably larger
than the measurements I had been given. It wasn’t 2 meters tall, but 2.70,
quite a difference. Fortunately, the design was easy to adapt. We paint a border
at the bottom and just continued the coloured lines in the background.
The mural not
only brightens up the entire street but also hopes to convey an important
message: the overpopulation of street dogs is a problem that can be solved
together. “¡Juntos los cuidamos!”, it says: “Together we take care of
them”, because children can also do their bit to care for pets. Taking responsibility
together will hopefully lead to less so that they are not neglect, abuse and abandonment.
On the right side we painted the logo of Unidos para los Animales, an
organization that offers affordable sterilizations and with which I have been
involved as a volunteer for years. In the text below the logo the public is
encouraged not to dump their pets and to sterilize them. In short, to take
responsibility for the dogs and cats in the community.
The kindergarteners
certainly loved it! “They look just like real!”, they said of the puppies.
“¡Qué chilero!”. Or in other words: super cool! The teachers and principals were
also very pleased.
The request
for this mural came from a group of women from Parramos who, on their own
initiative, trap stray dogs, have them sterilized and release them again, if no
home can be found for them. Sending the dogs back into the streets is always
heartbreaking, but unfortunately often the only option. In any case, they will
no longer contribute to the growth of the dog population on the streets. No
more unwanted puppies!
With the
mural finished, I just want to give big
thank you to Esmeralda and Amada for this opportunity and for coordinating the
logistics. Thanks to the staff of the kindergarten, the students for their
support, the Municipality of Parramos, as well as their photographer Cristian.
Also thanks to Diana Hernández and Gaby Rodriguez for helping me paint and Flori
and Luis Velasquez who were so kind to offer transportation, the first and last
day. And of course a big shout out to Dutch Foundation Colour4Kids for sponsoring
this mural!
But! This
project isn’t quite finished yet! Tomorrow I’ll return to Parramos for an art
workshop about doggie welfare. Stay tuned!
