Paint the Walls of Balata Refugee Camp
This campaign has ended on 01-01-2020
Campaign by: Beyond Us
Campaign Summary
Beautify Balata is an Art Initiative sponsored by registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit Beyond Us & the Yaffa Cultural Center inside Balata. The project is simple but immensely impactful: Paint the Walls of the largest refugee camp in Palestine with beautiful art murals from professional street artists, Local and International.
Problem
Balata camp was built as a temporary refugee settlement in 1950 for some 5,000 people, Balata is now home to over 27,000 people and sits on 0.25 sq. km. of land. Balata has a larger population density than Manhattan by four times and is the largest refugee camp in the West Bank. Balata is notorious for unemployment, overpopulation, and poor infrastructure. Especially since 2000, conditions within the camp have worsened significantly and the general spirit of the camp has become more desperate. Youth make up 60% of the population.
Solution
Through collaborative, participatory public art-making, our initiative promotes healing, self-expression, and community experience by giving the children of Balata refugee camp a voice through art. Give a voice to the voiceless in the community, and allow them to paint their own reality. We believe art has the power to heal and inspire. Aside from the murals done by children, the artists completed at least 10 Murals throughout the camp, to uplift & inspire the community with colors.
About Beyond Us
Beyond Us is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) Nonprofit organization based out of Atlanta, Georgia. Founded by Jallal Abdelhadi in 2017, Beyond Us was catalyzed by his trip to Palestine where he taught English in the largest refugee camp in the West Bank: Balata.