For the Love of Dogs!

Dogs are everywhere in Guatemala and often they're not living under the best of circumstances. But times are a-changing... More and more people have their dogs spayed and neutered and responsible pet ownership is becoming a thing. Even the government is stepping up with the Unidad de Bienestar Animal (Unit for Animal Welfare), where, for example, abuse can be reported. But there is still work to do, and where better to start than with kids! They tend to love animals and are often more perceptive than adults. Hence this mural at the After School Program from People in Guatemala (Centro de Apoyo Educativo y Vocacional, Unidos por la Salud y Educación de Guatemala) where 70 kids receive daily extra classes. Hopefully this mural will inspire young and old to love and respect animals, to care for them and to create a better world for all of us. 

The text in the background is based on the definitions of animal rights as promoted by the Unidad de Bienestar Animal:

Every animal should live:

• Free from hunger, thirst, and malnutrition
• Free from fear and distress
• Free from physical and thermal discomfort
• Free from pain, injury, and disease
• Free to express their natural behaviors

This mural was generously sponsored by
Dr. Jim Bader, a US veterinarian with a long history in Guatemala! Dr. Jim has visited the country dozens of times, doing free surgeries and bringing much needed supplies to rescuers and animal welfare groups. Thank you Jim!

Centre Stage!

 

Back in San Martín Jilotepeque, Guatemala! This time to paint a mural at the kindergarten, just in time for the start of the new school year.  It was yet another fun project to do, despite the freezing cold in the mornings, when it was windy and shady with temperatures as low as 11°C. In the afternoon, the wind would die down and I’d be working in full sun, no escape and 35°C!

It was four long days of painting, with a little help from Hayden and Doris, two kids who have helped me before, as well as Gloria Velasco, the director of the school and her family. The bottom of the stage wasn’t included in the original design, but I’m glad I decided to paint it too, it looks much better this way. I would have liked to paint the two metal posts in front of the mural too, but didn’t have enough time. I bought paint and the teachers promised me to paint the posts and the fence around the stage.

This mural was sponsored by the Uno Más Foundation, directed by my friend Ana Maria Ackermans. She sponsored the water mural from last year too, but she had never been to San Martín Jilotepeque herself. So she gathered some friends, rented a bus and came to see the mural, the town and some other projects. They also visited the Escuelita de Educación Especial and the new bakery that is manned by adolescents with cognitive disabilities. Of course we had lunch, delicious as always, at my friend Cristy Velasco’s Full Moon Café. What a fun way to end this project!