International humanitarian aid organisation Human Relief Foundation have constructed a huge piece of artwork in recognition of Refugee Week 2014.
The patchwork is made up of over 1,000 pieces of material drawn on by Syrian refugee children and British children, and depicts their contrasting ideas when asked ‘What is Home?’ It will be unveiled as part of Refugee Week activities on Monday 16th of June.
Sarah Gate, Marketing and Communications Officer for Human Relief Foundation, commented: “The canvas artwork is huge and extremely moving to look at. It contains images straight from the minds of refugee children when we asked them to draw their homes. Some of them drew guns and tanks. We had images of dead people and war. Some of them drew destroyed houses.
What we really want people to see when the look at this canvas is the horror refugee children are facing. When we put those drawings next to the drawings our British children drew, the contrast is quite incredible.”
Syrian children were living in the Madabah area of Jordan within host homes and communities, or from the King Abdullah or Cyber City refugee camps.
Children from six schools in Bradford contributed to the canvas; Horton Grange, Copthorpe, Lidget Green, St Oswalds, Grange Technology and Princeville. British children participating in the event were also part of assemblies and lessons explaining the plight of refugees and the importance of being aware.
The canvas was put together in conjunction with Bradford based Horton Grange Primary School and a local accredited stitching school called Sewing Bradford, who spent over a week fastening together each piece.
It will be revealed at Kala Sangam in Bradford on Monday 16th June 2014 as part of Refugee Week activities. All members of the public are invited to attend the event, which will begin at 10am.
There are currently almost one million refugees registered as living in Jordan. In total 2.5 million Syrians are predicted to have fled their home country. A staggering 11.8 million are in need of assistance.
Human Relief Foundation has been working with Syrian refugees since the conflict began in 2011. The charity is feeding 66,000 refugees every single month in a project with the World Food Programme. The organisation, which has head offices in Bradford and regional offices in Manchester, Birmingham and London, was founded in 1991 in response to the war in Iraq, and has projects and offices in Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Jordan, Syria, Bangladesh and Palestine.-
For more information or interviews please contact:
Sarah Gate
Marketing and Communications Officer
01274 39 27 27
07816 490 342
sarah@hrf.co.uk