Children’s art

Most grades have now finished their lessons for the term, and only Grade 6 and Grade 9 are still revising for their exams.

So this morning Debora and David are running a watercolour art session with the children of Grade 4 and Grade 5, typically aged nine and ten. Elena, Manlio and Emily join them to support the activity.

We divide 60 children into four classrooms of 15. We provide watercolours, pencils, brushes and blank bookmarks for the children to draw and colour. They sit down attentively and listen to the instructions. They are excited to be with us and keen to make a good impression. They take part very well, and each child draws two bookmarks, showing remarkable creativity and skill. Then we ask them to write a message of hope on one of the two bookmarks, and in their own words they express their dreams, aspirations and gratitude. These children are humble and grateful, and yet they dream of becoming doctors, engineers, teachers, priests or footballers.

We leave all the watercolour equipment with the school, along with a pencil as a gift and one bookmark for each child to keep. We take the other bookmark from each child, the one with their message written on the back, and we will use them to show our friends the talent of these children and to raise funds.

At one o'clock it is time for lunch. A child rings a bell loudly. The children smile and run happily to lunch.

We are happy too.