Transforming potential victims into heroes by educating children on the dangers of mines through drawings and fun. That’s the goal of “Vittimine”, a street-art project conceived by Michele Cavaliere. Until Thursday 26 May the project will engage 60 children from Kabul thanks to a contribution from Italian Development Cooperation and the collaboration of OMAR, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working in mine clearance.
Using paper, felt-tip pens and paint, and with the support of educators from OMAR, the young artists will create human figures on large billboards that will be displayed on the walls of their home villages. The aim is to arouse villagers’ curiosity and thus inform them of the problems caused by mines.
The project is focusing on children because in 75% of cases it is they who are involved in explosions of mines. The accidents happen when they are collecting scraps of metal – which often conceal unexploded devices – for sheer survival.