Home to Child Refugees Drawings by Afghan Children Reflect Arduous Journey by Serena Lei What is Home? Where is Home?,î now on display at the Capital Childrenís Museum, is an exhibit of drawings by Afghan child refugees. For these children, home is a tent in a refugee camp or the memory of a burning house. Home is the hope of safety as they wait in line at a border crossing or walk across mountains littered with landmines to reach a foreign country. For children who were born in a refugee camp, home is something they have never known. Last August and September, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) sponsored a drawing contest in the Shamshatoo refugee camp in Pakistan. Children from ages 3 to 15 were asked to depict their own livesóa sobering portrait of war and instability. The drawings were created both before and after Sept. 11, but before the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan. The 28 winning drawings on display were chosen from more than 3,000 entries. All of the participants received educational materials, and the 28 winners received an additional 500 Pakistani rupees (a little more t han $8). CRS sponsored the contest to draw attention to the plight of more than 2 million Afghan refugees who have fled to Pakistan to escape 20 years of war and severe drought. The exhibit is split into three sections, dividing the pictures by themes. Each drawing is labeled with the childís name, often identified with their fatherís name, as well as their approximate grade. Translations of any words in the drawings are also provided. Some of the pictures are surprisingly complex, with story lines or multiple scenes in one picture. In the first section, ìRecent Wars in Afghanistan: 1979-Present,î we see a childís version of waróan often detailed, sometimes violent picture of tanks and helicopters and bleeding stick figures on the ground. It is unclear how well the children understand what is happening to them or why. In one drawing the word ìAmericaî is written under a bowl of grain. The drawing also includes a man labeled Bill Clinton and a woman labeled Benazir Bhutto, Pakistanís former prime minister. In another drawing, a child has drawn tanks with the label ìSoviet Union Forcesî and the word ìDefeated.î Although difficult to interpret, at the bottom of the drawing it appears that the boy is returning to his home. The ìJourney Across the Borderî drawings depict families of refugees traveling by foot, or being searched at a border check. Pakistan has officially closed their border to refugees, so many families must sneak across the border through the harsh mountains. In a picture of two refugees, a first grader has drawn a man and a woman leading a camel toward the mountains. The drawing, accented by two flowers at the border, looks almost biblical, reminiscent of Joseph and Mary. Drawings depicting ìLife in a Refugee Campî include long lines of men and women waiting separately for food or water. Aid agencies such as CRS and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) provide the food, water and shelter. In several pictures, the children have written UNHCR on the tents that they call home. Schools are also held in tents as teachers try to provide some normalcy to their studentsí lives. This is home as an unstable and temporary place, lived out in tents without privacy or security. In one picture, a child has drawn a refugee camp with planes flying overheadóa bomb has dropped on one tent, setting it on fire. Staff at the Capital Childrenís Museum recommends that children view the exhibit with a parent or teacher to explain the images. Photographs of Afghan child refugees are mounted on the wall so that a child visiting the exhibit can connect a face with the drawings. The museum has also provided a questionnaire for visitors, encouraging them to draw their own pictures on the back. The questions include, ìWhen I looked at the picture, I felt___î and ìMy hope for you is___.î More than 300 answers and drawings have already been received and will be sent to the refugee camps and translated for the Afghan children. Although some of the children had trouble understanding the exhibit (one wrote, ìI hope you get a good grade in Artî), many of the responses were expressions of sadness. One child taped a penny to the drawing, while another wrote, ìMy hope for you is that you will be free.î Catholic Relief Services and Capital Childrenís Museum plan to tour the exhibit around the country and possibly show the drawings in other Washington, D.C., venues. The questionnaire-drawing box will go on tour with the drawings, and an interactive component may be added. ìWhat is Home? Where is Home? Life Through the Eyes of Afghan Child Refugeesî runs through June 30 at the Capital Childrenís Museum, 800 3rd St., NE, Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please call (202) 675-4120 or visit www.ccm.org. Serena Lei is an arts writer for The Washington Diplomat.