Tuesday, June 26, 2012

World Refugee Day 2012

World Refugee Day 2012

World Refugee Day is celebrated worldwide on 20 June each year to recognise the courage of refugees in rebuilding their lives despite the horrors they have faced, and to create awareness and garner public support for creating a humanitarian space for refugees.

Activities this year:
Visit Bangsar Village 1 Shopping Complex, on the Ground Floor, for a World Refugee Day Exhibition, from 20 June 2012 - 1 July 2012.

1. “Art With Heart” Bags in Support of Education for Refugee Children

In conjunction with World Refugee Day, a specially designed ‘Gin & Jacqie’ bag will be on sale from 20 June 2012 in support of refugee children in Malaysia under a fundraising initiative called “Art With Heart: A Refugee Art Project”.

For a limited time only, proceeds from the sales of these bags will go towards refugee education programmes in Malaysia under the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). This fundraising project is a collaboration between ‘Gin & Jacqie’ and UNHCR in Malaysia.

The bags will be publicly launched in conjunction with World Refugee Day, and are available at www.ginjacqie.com and Cziplee (Bangsar) at the price of RM24.

The exclusive ‘Gin & Jacqie’ bag features a stunning artwork made by a refugee youth and carries with it the story of the artist. The artist is 15 year-old Mary, a refugee whose family fled from Myanmar due to human rights issues they faced in the country. Mary is an orphan, now living with her grandparents in Malaysia. She lost her mother a few short months ago, and her pain inspires her art.

Her art work features bold splashes of vibrant colours with a red heart in the center.

“I painted ‘love’,” said Mary. “When my mother passed away, I was so scared, but I know her love is always with me. That makes me happy.”

The artwork was selected from nearly 100 paintings submitted by refugee youths in Malaysia in an art competition organised by UNHCR for this purpose.

There are over 96,000 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR in Malaysia. 19,600 of them are refugee youths and children who have no access to formal education. Instead, many of them attend learning centres set up by the refugee communities themselves. In spite of support from UNHCR and other partners, these learning centres are run under resource-scarce settings.

“Funds raised from this project will aid these learning centres in areas of basic needs including school books and stipend for refugee teachers,” said Yante Ismail, UNHCR spokesperson in Malaysia. “This is vital in helping refugee children have access to the best possible quality of learning while they are here in Malaysia.”

‘Gin & Jacqie’, a strong supporter of art and children’s education, conceptualised “Art With Heart” to bring together youths, UNHCR and the public in a common cause in supporting refugee education.

“Art With Heart” defines Gin & Jacqie’s undertaking in encouraging artistic talents of children, while creating awareness on the need for greater support for education,” said Jacqueline Ng, owner of ‘Gin & Jacqie’. “Children are the future and their development affects all of us. “Art with Heart” is but a stepping stone to a bigger picture.”

The initiative was supported by Cziplee (Bangsar) and Bangsar Village mall.

2.Refugee Youths Art exhibition

 20 shortlisted artworks from refugee youths will be on display at the Ground Floor foyer of Bangsar Village 1. These were artworks submitted for consideration for the "Art With Heart" project. The winning design by 14-year old Mary can be seen at this exhibition, together with other beautiful pieces.

http://www.unhcr.org.my/News_Views-@-World_Refugee_Day_2012.aspx

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