Eleven-year-old Yasmin’s life changed completely when her family was forced to flee their home in Syria and start a new life in a refugee settlement.
Her new life certainly isn’t easy but, thanks to the aid of World Vision, she not only receives nutritious food (this through a partnership with the UN World Food Programme) but is also able to escape camp life to a specially designated “child-friendly space” where she can play, draw, meet new friends – and dream.
“In the future, I want to be a teacher in Syria…I’ll give gifts to all the students,” she said.
One of the billboards featuring Yasmin. PICTURE: World Vision Australia.
Yasmin’s story is one of those being highlighted on billboards hanging over freeways in Australian cities this month in a bid to raise funds for World Vision Australia’s Big Impact campaign.
The initiative, thanks to the organisation’s partnership with the UN World Food Programme, sees the value of donations multiplied 18 times with proceeds being used to deliver emergency food assistance to millions of families affected by conflict, disaster and other forces out of their control. They include those affected by the crisis in Syria and the Rohingya people who have fled to Bangladesh.
The real Yasmin. PICTURES: World Vision Australia.
Guy Shield, the Melbourne-based artist behind the billboard images, says that, having usually worked in the commercial art space, it’s the first time he’s created works “based on real subjects that were currently living unbelievably harsh realities”.
“Knowing they were just children made it all the more harder,” he said. “There was an incredible sense of responsibility to communicate that story – and to communicate hunger and scarcity. I wanted these children – who have had incredible resilience and hope in the face of adversity – to have their stories told and do it justice.”
Shield, who started the project just two weeks before his own first child was due, said it changed his perspective of what provision – particularly given the impending borth of his own baby – meant.
“But what was remarkable was the hope in the midst of the harsh terrains I was depicting in my art. That’s because of food and aid provided by World Vision, Yasmin could make sure her tummy was full before spending her day at the humanitarian organisation’s child friendly space attending ‘school’ and playing in a refugee camp.”
The campaign can be seen on billboards in Australian cities until the end of the month which coincides with the end of the financial year in Australia.
~ www.worldvision.com.au/bigimpact
