Arts and crafts

Due to the lack of tools (pencil, paper, crayon and other creative tools) the majority of African children only draw at school, and only the tasks prescribed in class, such as a flagpole with the national flag, a flower of a cube. They use no other tool but a pencil in the school, as there is nothing else they have. When we asked them to draw something, we saw only the obligatory lesson drawings and then telling them to "use your imagination!" only gave a puzzled look. So we rather asked them to draw about their lives. And in the process we taught them what felt-tip pens, crayons, watercolours can be used for, and what perspective or shading is.

Whenever we visit the schools, we aim to have arts and craft activities for all ages. In the summer of 2019 we organised a summer art program in Senegal. In Ghana we provided the art supplies for a three month long creative art project where all primary school classes had all the material needed to be creative twice a week. Many of the pieces of art became the decoration for the classrooms too.