September program with Lana Arts Workshops: Working with refugees in Buffalo, NY
This September, co-founder Tanya Gupta will be working with Lana Arts Workshops and The WASH Project to conduct art workshops for refugees living in Buffalo, NY. Activities will include fabric painting, tie-dying, and embroidery, along with visual arts led by Jiji Kikhia, founder of Lana Arts Workshops which is a platform that provides visual arts activities in a mobile open studio environment to encourage expression, creativity, joy, and acquisition of the local language for refugees in Germany and The United States. Currently, they have weekly workshops running in Berlin, and monthly workshops in Tampa Bay, Florida. Over the past five years approximately 30% of the refugees resettled in New York State have come to Buffalo – more than how many have been resettled in New York City. Many arrive from refugee camps in Burma, Thailand, Nepal, Kenya, Chad or Tanzania or where there have been limited opportunities for education. Amongst refugee populations from around the world, there are reportedly increased rates of domestic violence and sexual assault. In recent news, the refugee crisis in Europe has also led to increased profits for human traffickers. Though we will not know the backgrounds and experiences of each refugee we work with in September, we know that each individual has their own set of difficulties and struggles that they are overcoming. htE is partnering with Lana Arts Workshops to continue our mission of empowering survivors of economic hardships, as well as domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Click here to see learn more about how you can help.