Tuesday, September 3, 2013


Towards Colorful Safer Spaces – Lebanon 
SEP, 03 2013 
By Jennifer Whittier MacKenzie 



It was working in a prison that drove Solange Al-Heybe “to give life to the walls surrounding those dark spaces” of confinement. “I was always inspired to bring colors into those people’s lives, as a healthy, comfortable way to reach a positive, hopeful vision,” the psychologist and founder of “I Leaf Art” says.

After “giving life” to several walls at Roumieh Prison and Palestinian camps, Heybe took on an UNRWA school at Bourj Barajneh, where “I Leaf Art” was born in November 2012. As its mission statement tenderly declares, it is a “Group of Artists targeting Rigid Dark Spaces; Turning them into Safe, Dreamy ones.”

What’s most fulfilling is the reaction of the children involved, their amazement and trust,” Heybe explains. Current projects include an elderly Palestinian couple’s home and more UNRWA and public schools. While some of these are supported by the non-profit Sharing is Caring and the Norwegian Refugee Council, Heybe says lack of NGO registration and lack of funding remain challenges. But, she insists, “once we start we can’t stop.”

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