Les Couleurs Charity Brings Art to Haitian Orphanages

New York, NY, September 1, 2014 (Newswire.com) - CREATE is a program that offers creative art education to underprivileged children. It was introduced and implemented this month in Port-au-Prince, Haiti by Les Couleurs Charity, a New York-based non-profit organization.

Targeting the most vulnerable children who are suffering from deep psychosocial traumas and complex needs on multiple levels, the program is aimed to educate, heal and inspire. CREATE teaches art, and intends to introduce music, dance and creative writing education as a part of the program in the future.

Because every child deserves greatness

The first part of the program that focuses on art creation was launched in two Haitian orphanages  - Paraclets and Mary Mother of The Divine Mercy in Port-au-Prince - and Foyer Divin high-school in the village of Villard this month. The children were introduced to basic concepts of drawing, nursery rhymes, realistic & abstract art, pattern and repetition, and use of different mediums. Students learned to draw basic shapes, patterns, faces, and landscapes using color pencils, watercolor, gouache, water pencils, oil pastels, chalk pastels, and collage materials.

The program has been developed by a team of Les Couleurs Charity’s volunteers with experience in children’s education and art and is aimed solely at underprivileged children. It is a hope and mission of the charity to expand CREATE in other impoverished countries.

The co-founders of Les Couleurs Charity, Aura Copeland and Raminta Lilaite, traveled to Haiti for the first time in May of 2014, and discovered that art and creative education, considered to be the “luxury of the first world,” did not exist in the most vulnerable communities and orphanages. They visited, as volunteers, the orphanages of Paraclets, Mary Mother of the Divine Mercy and Sakala, the after-school community in Cite Soleil shantytown, all of them located around Port-au-Prince. An artist and a publicist, they quickly realized that the underprivileged kids in Haiti were being deprived of one of the most important tools to help with the development of their creativity, self-expression, growth and self-worth.

Creativity and art, taught at an early age, can change the course of a person’s existence, and creative thinking is essential to being effective in life. It has been scientifically proven that nearly all children experience meaningful educational benefits from the study of art - and above all from the creation of art. Moreover, it's well demonstrated that children who are exposed to the arts, and who are encouraged to create, are more likely to fare better in other academic subjects.

Most importantly, art therapy has been successful in using art as a form of expression and healing process for many children who have experienced traumas. It is known to help children cope and heal on a deeper level with their experiences of abuse.

The introduction of CREATE in Haiti was met with unparalleled enthusiasm and excitement from children of all ages. The classes took place over a course of a month. The powerful reaction promised the success of the first attempt to introduce the program. The specially gifted and most enthusiastic students received extra classes.

The artworks of the most talented children were brought to the States to be auctioned off at a monthly Les Couleurs Charity’s event in New York City this September (for event RSVP email aura@lescouleursnyc.org).

The goal of CREATE is now to launch a continuation of the art Curriculum and to add other creative areas: development of language, creative writing, singing and dance.

The program will continue to be implemented in these and other orphanages through volunteers and staff of Les Couleurs Charity, ensuring its continuity and penetrating the fabric of the communities, leaving an impact, inspiring hope, change and growth.

Eventually, Les Couleurs Charity has a goal to establish a permanent, free of charge Art & Creativity Center for kids in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

In the future, CREATE will also travel to other countries with underprivileged communities.

Visit Les Couleurs NYC Charity on their website!

For more information and images, please contact Raminta Lilaite at Raminta@lescouleursnyc.org.

ABOUT LES COULEURS CHARITY

Les Couleurs NYC Charity was co-founded by two New Yorkers of Lithuanian origin, Aura Copeland and Raminta Lilaite, an artist and a publicist with a passion for education and volunteering. The organization’s mission is to educate, inspire and heal children in underprivileged communities through education of art and creativity. The organization has recently introduced its CREATE program in Haitian orphanages. The name of the organization means “The Colors” in French and represents the colorful diversity of the world.