Prints for Playthings : Benjamin Spell

Hello!

I hope that everyone is doing well. Happy Thanksgiving! My good friend and classmate Paola works with orphanages around the world. Over Christmas, she is traveling to the Dominican Republic to spend time with the kids of the orphanage. There are about 200 kids living at this orphanage, she has the goal of bringing every kid a toy. There are about 135 girls and 65 boys living there. I am putting a few different prints up for sale. All proceeds from these prints are going to help buy Christmas gifts for these kids. For many of these children these might be the only gift that they receive all year long.

Here are a few pictures that Paola took of the some of the children on a previous trip.

I asked Paola a few questions about what they are doing to help give you an idea of the life of the kids and the impact a simple gift can make.

Could you tell me a little about the orphanage that you will be working with?

Well the orphanage was started ten years ago by Sonia Hane. She was a native of La Romana but immigrated to Brooklyn when she was just a girl. Upon coming back to the Dominican Republic and seeing the destruction and corruption of children in that area she visited, she felt a call and duty to the Dominican children. She left everything behind to work hard at building the orphanage for children. It was a long process for the kids and for Sonia since she didn’t have any means of support upon starting and for the next few years afterwards. But with much prayer and hard work, she was able to bring it forth. And now she takes kids in from all over the country!

How did you get in touch with this group?

I got in touch with the group by my aunt who interviews non profit organizations for her television show.

What would you say the average child’s life is like in this orphanage?

When I am there it’s all fun and games… but I know in reality it isn’t like that all the time. A couple of years ago I found myself observing from the sidelines. And I saw a lot of hurt, bad memories, learned habits and tears from the girls. They expressed it in how they spoke to others, played with their toys and did their every day tasks. The girls are sheltered from getting harmed any longer by the outside world. But they have to bear with their memories and its quite sad. On the other hand, they are incredibly smart and creative. There are some girls who love arts and crafts and others who sing and do theatre. They are strong. Stronger then me I think, because they channel all their fears, anxieties and terrors into their studies and art. Its wonderful

What do these gifts mean to the children?

Well these kids have been abandoned, rejected, torn, hurt… they haven’t experienced love and warmth to such a level that they feel assured. Giving the gifts to these children is like a stepping stone to mending a broken heart. A barbie isn’t just a toy. You can be changing a child’s life by giving them one, you can change their perspective on life completely by one gift or one letter and a word of love. I have seen it happen many times and it still gives me goose-bumps! We just want them to know that there are actually people that think about them, people that care and don’t wish them any harm.

How else can anyone help with your project?

If anyone is interested in donating barbies that would be amazing! Or raising money to buy things for the orphanage that are everyday needs and are scarce. There is a list of these things that are needed on the orphanage website www.orfanatoninosdecristo.org

Anything else that you think that should be known about the orphanage?

It’s a safe haven for these kids. It really is and the more people give and are willing to have an open heart and extend an open hand, the better their future and their community will be.

The following prints are available for purchase, all proceeds are going to help buy gifts and other essentials for these children. To purchase prints or for more information email me at info@benjaminpell.com