What is Make Do Tell? 
Make Do Tell is a skills based, arts and education project with the street children of Nepal and the families of The Salt Pans in Gujarat India.
Make Do Tell: making art & theatre, being creative, learning, making childhood fun.
Make Do Tell: doing drama and art together, being active.
Make Do Tell: being resourceful and adaptable.
Make Do Tell: giving participants a voice through the arts. Creating stories, drama and artwork of participants’ lives.
Make Do Tell: an invitation to participants to share their stories.

In early 2014 we spent six weeks in Nepal with children of Unatti Foundation  and the street children of Bhaktapur. This was our second visit to this community after spending three days with them in late 2012. We called it Make Do Tell.  We also spent three days in the desert in Gujarat, returning to create art with the vulnerable communities who harvest salt there. 

We had the opportunity to teach them a number of skills in painting, clay, mime, clowning and improvisation. We saw a marked  improvement in the children's ability to learn and practice new skills,  in their concentration and growing willingness to work co-operatively with each other. It was exciting to see them grow in confidence as they learned and developed through the work they were doing with us.  As their trust in us strengthened, they started to express about their lives; but this takes time.  As our relationships deepen with each visit we see they are  more willing to share their stories either through visual and performing arts. Their lives have often been traumatic, affected by poverty that leads to community and family breakdown. 

Make Do Tell 2

We have been invited back to work with these communities. This is a great opportunity that is both exciting and humbling. We will build on the trust they have given us and cement our relationships with them.

In Bhaktapur we will create new work building on the skills in theatre and the visual arts which began two years ago.   Participants will tell their own stories through painting, clay,  book-making, drama, clowning and mime. The project will conclude with an exhibition and performance to the local community and wider audience.

We will return to the Salt Pan communities to teach new skills and build on established ones. It is an important element of our project to return to these isolated communities,  to strengthen our relationships and the trust that we have established with them.  These communities are the most vulnerable with whom we have worked - and we are committed to supporting their education, creativity and the children's the right to play .

We also will be training community leaders and teachers so they can continue the work after we leave.
 
During this trip we have been invited to talk about our work at conferences in India, in the cities of  Kochi and Hyderabad. These are important opportunities for us to share our work with professionals in the international community development and mental health sectors.  We aim to develop links with new communities who may be interested in our work.





We will be work ing with : 

1.  Street Children.
At first we thought the term “street children” meant children who lived on the streets without homes, perhaps without parents and loving care. We thought it also referred to children who are completely on their own, surviving on their wits.  We have come to realize that the term, their situations and lives are a lot more complex.

UNICEF acknowledges as street children “those who may have lost their families through war or illness, or have been abandoned because they had become too much of a burden, or else ran away from their abusive, dysfunctional, poverty-stricken families and now live alone on the streets”. The term “street children” also describes those who work on the streets and those who are encouraged by their parents to work and earn money instead of going to school. Their work can involve picking up garbage or begging money from tourists. Many have come from the country with their families; others have escaped violent homes or homes negatively affected by someone with a mental illness.

All experience hardship or poverty.  Their education,and their opportunities are very limited.


2. The Unatti Foundation and Children's Art Village, Nepal
Both these small NGOs are committed to uplifting the lives of all of Nepal’s children.  We collaborate with both these organisation and their desire to affect change by specifically supporting education and wellbeing, particularly of girls and young women, through creative practice.

3. Salt Pan Communities in Gujarat India.
These communities are some of the poorest in India.  They harvest salt under the harshest conditions, as they live in the desert for up to eight months of the year.  The children have little access to a very basic education and all have limited access to the basics of life. 

The funds will be used to pay for airfares to and within India and Nepal, visas and travel insurance. They will contirbute to some accommodation over the 2 months we are away. Some accommodation will be provided by our hosts.

We will use the funds to buy art materials, which we will buy in Nepal and India where possible to benefit the local economy.  Some materials are provided in country, and some have already been donated.

The $7000 budget does not meet all our costs, such as the incidentals in-country or living allowances.   We are donating our professional services to this project.  

Budget
Airfares to India:   $3500 return
Airfares within india and Nepal :  $1000approx.
Travel insurance:  $700 
Visas:                     $500
Accommodation:  $800approx.
Materials:              $500

Having worked in Nepal and India before, we understand the challenges of working in these communities and environments.   We have developed strong relationships with local community leaders who help us with their local knowledge, translating, and in managing large numbers of participants.