In Guatemala, 7 year-old Leandra plays with clay. Photo by Michael Bisceglie.

A Creative Tool to Help Children

Around the world, children are susceptible to conflict, poverty and trauma. Save the Children recognizes the severe toll that this can have on children's physical and emotional well being, and the necessity of supporting children in the healing process while still young.

When utilized to its full potential, the value of art in stimulating positive children's development is tremendous. Art activities support children's fine motor skill, their perception, language and social interaction skills. Art can also be used as an avenue for processing and expressing experiences, learning and working through ideas, and constructing knowledge and meaning about the world.

Save the Children is using our well-respected children's education programs and our global expertise in child protection to launch HEART: Healing and Education through Art in three distinctive contexts: Central America, the Middle East and Nepal, and Malawi and Mozambique. Locally specific, the art interventions will include a variety of media — drawing, painting, drama, music, and dance — to strengthen the well being and resiliency of children. We will field test HEART in the West Bank and Gaza this year, where the situation for children continues to be dire and psychosocial programs are a strategic priority. HEART will then be refined and implemented in the other regions, and disseminated widely within the organization, the International Save the Children Alliance, and our local and international partners. 

This project will allow Save the Children to enhance its capacity to stimulate positive, holistic child development and mitigate the emotional impact caused during and after crises.