Haitian Proverb

Men anpil chay pa lou.
Many hands make the load lighter.

Kwashiorkor

Whenever I used think about malnutrition, I always envisioned children with round little bellies and almost every bone in their body showing. I had never heard of kwashiorkor and I had no idea how deadly it was. I was shocked at what it could do and how it was that I had never even heard of this. It's definitely one of the most tragic, awful things that are a result of extreme poverty.

Kervenson just came into the Rescue Center with severe kwash. His body is rotting from the inside and he is extremely swollen with fluid.

It's so bad that his skin is starting to break down and fall off.
As you can imagine, this is extremely painful.

We are hoping and praying that this baby will be able to recover. They tried to give him medika mamba and some juice, but his stomach couldn't handle it and he threw it all up. He is now in a place where they will do everything they can to get him better.

Maybe you are asking WHY did this happen?
Imagine if all you have is a small amount of rice to feed your family and nothing else. Rice will at least fill up your belly and make you feel full, but it doesn't give you any of the protein or vitamins that you need to live. If this is all you have to eat, eventually your body won't be able to take it and the symptoms of kwashiorkor take over. Such a sad reality of what people deal with every day.

If you would like to help us help children like Kervenson, please spread the word about Artists For Hope. Donated and purchased artwork gives funds to help feed nutritious meals to these children and provides medical help to them so they can get better. ALL the proceeds go to these kids. Everyone who works with Artists For Hope are volunteers. So if you want to know that your money is really going to make a difference~ this is the way to help!

Wanna See More Of RHFH?

They have posted a wonderful short tour of the Real Hope For Haiti Rescue Center and Clinic on their blog. It shows so much of what is going on there every day. So many people being seen in the clinic and lots of malnourished kids being cared for (outside still, since the earthquake).

You can see it all HERE.

Another New Child Admitted

A 5 pound 1 year old was admitted to the Rescue Center.
If you remember seeing the picture of Darlens (on the left) you know that he is a 12 pound 2 year old. Hard to imagine, isn't it?

I don't post these pictures for shock. I just want people to see WHY we are doing what we are doing. It almost seems too simple that art can help these kids~ but the money raised from donated and purchased artwork provides Medika Mamba and meals and medical care for them.

Not everyone can fly to Haiti and help, but I know a lot of you out there can create something or purchase something to help these kids. It really is simple, isn't it?

New Etsy Items

We have a lot of fun new items for sale on our Etsy Site.
Check them out.

Sweet Darlens

Wow.

This is Darlens. His aunt brought him to the Rescue Center because both parents were killed in the Earthquake. He is probably 2-3 years old, has a full set of teeth, is 78 cm tall and weighs 12 pounds. He is suffering from Marasmus.
12 pounds. Wow.

This little guy just breaks my heart.

New Artist

We are so excited and honored to have had four AMAZING Encaustic Paintings donated by artist Sonja Raven. Encaustics are created by painting with beeswax and the results of this ancient artform are so striking and look beautiful in any home or business.

Sonja says "my passions are far beyond the physical artwork itself. I want to provoke spiritual awareness, the importance of every moment of energy being utilized for unselfish results. We are all a piece of the puzzle. We need to be awake and proactive in thought and spirit no matter how unprofound some things may feel."

Sonja's work is for sale now on our new website.