CARE Celebrates 20 Years in Atlanta with ‘Through the Eyes of a Girl’ Exhibit

Art by Schoolgirls on Four Continents Comes to CARE’s Hometown on International Day of the Girl

ATLANTA (Oct. 11, 2013) — Twenty years ago, the global poverty-fighting organization CARE moved its headquarters to Atlanta. To commemorate this special anniversary and Atlanta’s position as a gateway to the globe, CARE has brought art created by schoolgirls across four continents to Mason Murer Fine Art Gallery in Atlanta. The “Through the Eyes of a Girl” exhibit opens today, on the second annual International Day of the Girl, and features 100 works by schoolgirls who, with CARE’s help, have overcome long odds to pursue their educations. The opening reception and celebration of this unique art collection will include global cuisine, drinks and music.  Tickets are $50 and available at www.care.org/art.

“Since we moved here from New York two decades ago, Atlanta has been wonderful and it’s been like coming home,”said CARE President and CEO Dr. Helene Gayle. “Atlanta’s unique position as a global capital for public health, human and civil rights, and international business has enhanced our work in fighting global poverty in 84 countries.  ‘Through the Eyes of a Girl’ gives Atlantans a unique opportunity to be inspired by some of the girls we work alongside every day and to see how our hometown is helping make a positive impact in the world.”

To create ‘Through the Eyes of a Girl,’ CARE sought schoolgirls from the countries of Georgia, Ghana, Honduras, India and Madagascar. We asked them to tell us about their lives, using colored pencils, pastels and watercolor paints. The girls, selected from communities where CARE has promoted girls’ education, leapt at the opportunity. For

many, it was the first time they had ever held a paint brush or even drawn on paper. To see a video detailing the trip to Ghana click here.

Through their own art, the girls opened their imaginations and gave us moving glimpses of their lives and daily struggles. Though many of the images show lives that are very different from our own, there is common thread to which anyone can relate: the simple beauty, boundless hope and an appreciation of a world full of wonder, as seen by a child.

The International Day of the Girl celebration started last year to focus attention on the challenges girls face around the world and to promote the fulfillment of their human rights. This October, in addition to the art exhibit, CARE is launching an online campaign called “Keep Girls in the Picture,” designed to support girls’ education.

worldwide.  CARE helped more than 2.3 million people gain access to quality education and technical training last year alone.

Atlanta-area corporations are joining in CARE’s celebration as sponsors. These include the Founders’ Circle: The Coca-Cola Company, Delta Air Lines, UPS; Leadership Circle: Boston Consulting Group, InterContinental Hotels Group, Pulseworks, Troutman Sanders, Wells Fargo; and Advocate Circle: Arby's Foundation, AGCO Corporation and Standard Press.

For tickets and more information about the “Through the Eyes of a Girl” exhibit and celebration, visit www.care.org/art.

About CARE

Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside poor girls and women because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty.

Our six decades of experience show that when you empower a girl or woman, she becomes a catalyst, creating ripples of positive change that lift up everyone around her. That’s why girls and women are at the heart of CARE’s community-based efforts to improve education, health and economic opportunity for everyone. We also work with girls and women to promote social justice, respond to emergencies and confront hunger and climate change. Last year CARE worked in 84 countries and reached more than 83 million people around the world. To learn more, visit www.care.org.