Make do Tell art and drama with Street Children in Nepal.

In January 2014 we are returning to Nepal to run a six-week art and drama project with street children. These are the children who participated so enthusiastically in the Art Week we ran last December for which the Australian Government acknowledged us as Finalists in the Australia Asia Art Award.
We are raising money for this project, which named Make do Tell and we are asking for your donation.

We collaborate with two foundations, Unatti Foundation and the Children’s Art Village. This was a short project of just one week but in that time the work captured the children’s imaginations and left them with many new skills.


Why Nepal?
Nepal has always been a poor country but over the past few decades the people has suffered greatly from a civil war and a dysfunctional government which has severely impacted on its people and its economy.

Consequently the poor have fewer opportunities to earn money to support their families, to educate their children, to attend to basic needs and medical care. Mental illness, family breakdown and alcohol and drug addiction as some of results. Children are abandoned, sold, left to fend for themselves or live a very uncertain life. They lack the opportunities life that should support and nurture the child.

Why Street Children?
We have seen children who have had no access to school; we know this leaves them and their community in a cycle of poverty.

We have seen families living in extreme poverty, and we know they are especially vulnerable to the lure of earning money through selling their children.

We have seen children lost, alone and vulnerable, without a strong family to support and nurture them. We know these children are at risk of exploitation.

We have seen children without any resources who have to fight for the everything they have, however meagre.

We know all this denies them their right to a childhood and ruins lives.

We know children thrive when they play, create and learn.


What we do
We go into communities and teach art and drama. We teach skills. We develop imagination. We have fun. We teach students how to work co-operatively with others. And we help improve their language skills. We build children’s self esteem and self confidence. We encourage children to learn, stretch themselves and to see their own potential.

We believe that art and drama is a stepping stone into education which in Nepal can be informal and non-school based.

We believe that children have a right to play and to learn through fun and creativity. We believe children, especially girls, need good role models to help them see and reach their potential. We believe entrenched disadvantage should not impede this children from experiencing from what we know to be good for a child’s wellbeing and future.


















What is Make Do Tell
It's a skills based, arts and education project with the street children of Nepal.
Make Do Tell - making art & theatre, being creative, learning, making childhood fun.
Make Do Tell : doing drama and art together, being active.
Make Do Tell : being resourceful and adaptable.
Make Do Tell : Giving participants a voice through the arts. Creating stories, drama & artwork of participants’ lives.
Make Do Tell : an invitation to participants to share their stories.

Why art and drama works
Make Do Tell, like all our programs, is built on our education, experience as professional artists, research including a PhD and years of engaging with disadvantaged communities. Our programs work because we are passionate about the role our work can contribute to the community. We are committed to nurturing the creative potential in every individual and encouraging that person to shine.

Our programs work because we consult with local community organisations with whom we partner, (such as the Unatti Foundation and Children’s Art Village, Nepal) and we train their leaders through professional development so that the work continues after we leave.

Why help
Helping feels great. We donate our arts services. Your donation helps by helping us get to Nepal. Your donation buys the materials. Your donation gives the children exposure to a wide range of art and drama projects. Your donation nurtures their childhood and helps put in place the self-confidence that will propel these children forward.

Can you make a donation? and join with other who have already supported this project?

How to help
Please donate through this campaign
Please pass this on to others who are interested in art, education and helping children in need.
Further Information see: our videos on YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpGIz2xuraRyTYuI2Mqo_IQ
read: Bamboo, Banyan and Bodhi, an article about our international work http://bit.ly/H0vv7a

Thank You

The challenges are numerous but not unknown to us.

Great enthusiasm for the arts projects brings many willing participants - which can be a challenge to manage as well as include everyone in the work. We have to change our teaching styles as well as sometimes split the group in two so that everyone has a place. Unconventional work spaces can also challenge the artist - but we have learned to adapt and be grateful for the spaces we are offered in such crowded communities.

The many distractions from the street including the traffic noise, and surprises, such as the sudden arrival of a wedding procession can affect focus. We know to delay the work for a moment and the how to refocus the group towards the work.

Unforeseen disruptions, such as religious holidays or ceremonies, can also impact our projects. In our planning we obtain as much information from the local organisers as we can to work around such events and we have to be flexible.

As we do not speak the local language we will have translators to assist us. We have developed techniques to explain our work by showing and not wholly relying on spoken language. There is an interest in learning each other's language.