Art therapy is a form of expressive therapy that uses the creative process of making art to improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It is a new concept to Ethiopia, and has enormous potential.

In April 2018, Free Healer (me), and Tsegaye Kelikele went to Ethiopia to establish an art therapy program for children with cancer in Addis Ababa, the countries capital. We started this program because we want to help these children manage their emotions, and deal with their struggles, through the power of creativity and art. We guide them through exercises to express themselves through different art mediums and games. The program helps develop both verbal and non-verbal communication from these kids as they undergo treatment for cancer. It has proven to be an extremely effective way to deal with physical pain, social distress, and the general severity of their situation, most importantly these kids are happy when engaged in art therapy.

We are both Artists, with qualifications in psychology from British Universities, and are of Ethiopian origin. This puts us in an ideal position to help these kids. In spite of the clear positive impact of this approach we are facing a big problem with funding. We don't have art space or art materials and we don't have enough funds to stay in Ethiopia to finish what we started. We are so passionate about this work that we have been paying out of our own pockets for the last 6 months; but now we don't have enough to cover the necessary expenses. We need your support and donations to resolve this obstacle. If you donate we can establish more creative spaces and provide these children with more art and educational materials so that this therapy becomes a regular part of their lives.

We are attempting to secure long-term funding for this program; our aim is to make art therapy a permanent service within the institution.

Please click on the link below to watch our work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xPL8XEh2D8

.