We had a terrific response to our photo and essay challenge I blogged about earlier. It was organized by volunteers with the Canadian Red Cross’ Even Wars Have Limits working group in Halifax to raise awareness about children affected by armed conflict around the world.
After a difficult selection process – so many great entries from members of the community – I’m happy to report that 16 photos will be on display at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax on Monday, March 21 from 7-9 p.m.
I just had a sneak peak at the selected pieces and they range from colourful expressions of joy to surprising scenes of daily life in parts of the world that have experienced armed conflict. Powerful photos from the ICRC professional exhibit titled Our World at War will also be showcased.
Some written entries will also be on display, ranging from poems to essays. One of the selected poems is particularly moving because of how it spontaneously came about. It’s a contribution from a grade 8 student from Hantsport, Nova Scotia, who wrote it just a few weeks ago while listening to a presentation at her school about the plight of widowed women and children in Afghanistan by Faisal Mahboob from the Canadian Red Cross.
Here’s an excerpt:
Children would cry for help
All we do is turn around
And leave them by themselves
And let them sleep on the ground
But Red Cross and me are here to fight
We promise to bring the light
We heard your alarms
We’re ready to take you in our arms
You waited forever
We’re ready to make life better.
The Even Wars Have Limits group is looking for opportunities to show the exhibit in other cities across the Maritimes. Let us know if you have a space that could host the collection in the coming weeks and months. For more info on the exhibit, check out www.redcross.ca/childrenandwar.