NEWS RELEASE

May 23, 2008

CONTACT:
Phone: (202) 530-1000
Fax: (202) 530-1080
E-mail: media@icaf.org
Url: www.icaf.org

The International Child Art Foundation announced today plans to expand its Healing Arts Program to China to help children in the Sichuan province and its surrounding regions recover from the shock and trauma caused by the May 12th earthquake. The earthquake struck at 2:28 pm on Monday when children were in school. Nearly 7,000 schools were destroyed and many schoolchildren were buried alive. Total casualties, including children, are estimated at 50,000, making the Sichuan earthquake China’s worst natural disaster in 30 years. This national tragedy has traumatized children all across China and around the world.

In response to the December 24, 2004 tsunami in Asia, the ICAF developed its Healing Arts Program to transfer the knowledge and experience gained from the treatment of the child survivors of the September 11, 2001 attacks, and other recent disasters, to help those of the tsunami. In response to Hurricane Katrina, the ICAF launched the Katrina Healing Arts Program in areas of the U.S. Gulf Coast devastated by the natural disaster. In October 2005, ICAF initiated a healing program for children in regions of Pakistan wrecked by the earthquake. In December 2005, the ICAF was invited by the World Bank to partner on its “Destruction, Reconstruction and Prevention” program to broaden the understanding within the bank and in the development community of the tolls that natural disasters take and how to effectively respond. The ICAF organized an art exhibition and an expert panel discussion at the bank’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The ICAF’s Healing Arts experience reveals that creative expression is an important part of the recovery process for children who have experienced traumatic events and catastrophic disasters. Art activities offer children an opportunity to express their feelings, perceptions, thoughts, and memories in ways that words cannot. With guidance and support, such activities can help traumatized children to communicate grief and loss, and become active participants in their own healing process. Art therapy can also help identify children who are severely traumatized and in need of psychological intervention.

“We are putting together a team to visit China and seeking donations to cover the expenses,” said ICAF Executive Director Dr. Ashfaq Ishaq. “Please consider making a donation today.”

The ICAF was founded in 1997 as the national art and creativity organization for American children and the international art organization for children around the world in order to harness their imagination for positive social change. CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION.