A Painting for Marguerite
Can art encourage generosity, giving, kindness? Can art benefit those in need?
A painting for Marguerite is a project to bring together art and aid.
The canvas Rain Forest will be given to the person who will make the most generous offer for a donation. Offers will be accepted from June 20th to July 14th 2017. All offers starting from 6. 000,00 euros will be accepted. The entire amount will be donated to a charity project.
Rain Forest, 2017, Oil on Canvas, 100x200cm
It is possible to see the painting in the artist’s studio in the center of Rome. Via Monserrato 20, for more information and to make an offer please contact:
info@costanzaalvarezdecastro.com
Subject: A painting for Marguerite
How this project was conceived:
This year, I was invited to Voices of Faith 2017, an event that allows women all over the world to tell their inspiring stories of faith, courage, beauty, and joy.
Marguerites Barankitse was among the many women who were invited to tell their incredible stories, I was so touched and motivated by her actions that I felt
I had to do something to help.
This is how I had the idea to bring together my biggest passions: art and inner calling to help others. Therefore, A painting for Marguerite was conceived, together with Suzanne Phillips and Iacobella Gaetani, the main goal is to finance projects focused on education all around the world.
Pictures from Voices of faith 2017
Financed project:
I’ve always believed in the fundamental role of education and believe that investing in education should be a priority. When you invest in education, you invest not only in infrastructures but also in people. When you give a child the right education, you don’t only give them the opportunity to go to school or university but you also help them to learn basic principles, such as respect, sharing and work.
This is why I decided to use this money to help young refugees living next to Kigali. They will train in Kigali, 20 of them will study cooking and 15 study needlework. Their studies will be financed by Maison Shalom, and with our contrubution we will be paying for the transportation fees and provide help to set up their own business.
There are also refugees, volunteers, who go every day to the Center OASIS OF PEACE (a comunity center build by Maison Shalom) to help other young refugees to learn english. They need some support for food and transportation.
Marguerite Story:
On October 12, 1993, two days after her Tutsi family was murdered by Hutus in Burundi, Marguerite Barankitse stood in front of a Hutus house to stop local Tutsis from taking revenge. “I am a Christian before being a Tutsi” Marguerite remembers shouting at the mob.
“I will not allow you to kill those people.”
That day, Maggy realized that her mission would be to fight the violence ravaging her country by giving children and the orphans of the civil war an alternative to hate. She founded Maison Shalom to provide a safe haven for them and welcomed children in need of all ethnic backgrounds. It aims to provide for the reintegration of these children by providing services in health, education, culture, justice and income-generation.
She has received numerous awards for her work including the 2016 Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity and the Prize for Conflict Prevention from the hands of Kofi Annan. When conflict returned to Burundi in 2015, Maggy asked that the president of her country should be tried by the International Criminal Court. For this she was forced to flee to neighboring Rwanda where she currently resides and continues to run Maison Shalom.
(from Voices of Faith)
Listen to Marguerite’s story by clicking on the link below:
VIDEO FROM VOICES OF FAITH 2017
La Maison Shalom:
Maison Shalom was created so that every child in Burundi could live in a healthy family
and community environment.
By promoting children rights, education for peace, and integrated and sustainable development, we foster the consolidation of lasting peace in Burundi.
In particular, Maison Shalom strives to give every child, from the moment it is conceived, an identity and dignity, protecting the child and its mother, in order to reduce the number of orphans and needy children.
La Maison Shalom has a socio-educational, medico-sanitary and sustainable economic development dimension.
MISSION REGARDING EDUCATION:
- Remove orphans and other vulnerable children from situations in which their rights are violated and help ensure that they are properly cared for.
- Trace the families of orphans and other vulnerable children with the object to reintegrate them.
- Reintegrate orphans and other vulnerable children through a variety of activities and improve living conditions in the community.
- Provide orphans and other vulnerable children with schooling.
- Provide minors over school age with occupational training.
- Build the capacity of host families to ensure proper care for orphans in the community.
- Ensure that the structures are constantly updated.
Link to www.maisonshalom.org
Link to an amazing video of Maison Shalom
Pictures from Maison Shalom
A painting for Marguerite:
A painting for Marguerite is born to create a platform where art and aid are connected.
The main goal will be to finance projects focused on education through art works donations.
The idea is to involve other artists, both emerging and well known. The entire amount of money (collected through art works donations) will finance a very specific project focused on education. The financed project will always be the central part of the program, it will be accurately selected, studied and monitored.
A painting for Marguerite will soon have its own website!
With the collaboration of Suzanne Phillips, Iacobella Gaetani and Alice Albanese
Special thanks to Gaia Franchetti, Lorenza Rosica, Massimo Rosica, Chantal Goetz and Gelasio Gaetani dell’Aquila d’Aragona Lovatelli
And to Voices of Faith
Link to www.voicesoffaith.org
(Pictures by Lorenzo Imprescia)