In December 2009, Jiashan Wu, New York based artist/designer, and Joyce Meng, founding CEO of Givology traveled to Uganda to visit the Circle of Peace School. Inspired by the cost of living and education in the region, they created this art campaign to raise money for the school. Over three weeks, they collected 163 drawings and portraits of the children, along with countless video interviews, photographs, and profiles.

The 50 dollar campaign allows people to invest in the expansion of the Circle of Peace School with each $50 purchase of a child’s drawing. By showcasing the children’s love of art and their stories, they can share with the world the transformative power of education and how every little bit-every $50—can change a life.

Jiashan Wu provides a personal reflection about her involvement in the Fifty Dollars Campaign for the Circle of Peace School in Uganda.

Staying at the Circle of Peace School was truly an incredible experience. And I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with such an inspiring organization like Givology. I had gone with Joyce Meng, founding CEO of Givology, initially to document the trip and the school.

After being at the school for a few days, it was very apparent that the school needs a lot of financial help, especially since their lower school was evicted by the landlord last year. I wanted to find a way to raise money for them. After graduating from Parsons in 2008, I had been working as a creative in advertising. My job was to come up with ideas to sell products. From work I’ve learned that simple and interesting ideas are the best way to get people interested in a product or, in this case, a cause.

The Fifty Dollar campaign idea is based around the amount of money that can cover the cost of everything a child will need for a year in school, which is about 100,000 Ugandan Shillings (around $50). I had wondered, even before my trip, what the kids would buy with $50 if they had it. When I got to know the kids more, I felt the question was even more relevant than I had thought. To ask them what they would buy with $50 is to understand what they truly want, which is something no one have asked them before. And I thought asking them to draw what they would buy with $50 would be the most clear and direct way to show their wants. The process of collecting the drawings, portraits and interviews with Joyce went very smoothly because most of the kids loved to draw. And they would even ask for extra sheets of paper to draw more. Some of the drawings revealed sad stories, particularly in the villages where none of the kids had gone to school. The difference between the drawings from the village kids and school kids really showed what profound change education and a connection to the outside world would make on a child.

With this in mind, people can be sure that every $50 purchase of the drawings/photos will be invested in the the expansion of the Circle of Peace School, so they can bring in more kids from the villages. After asking the kids in Uganda, our exhibition is now turning to the people back home with the same question: “What you would buy with $50?” (Please add your answer below in the comment field)

You are invited to The Uganda Fifty Dollar Campaign Exhibition Opening. The exhibition opening will take place on March 26, 2010 6pm – 9pm in Station Gallery at 73 Franklin Street, New York City. Click here to view event information.

Click here to reserve a drawing before the launch of the exhibit!

Givology

Givology is a 100% volunteer based online non-profit marketplace improving access and quality of education in the developing world through microphilanthropy. Unlike traditional education philanthropy schemes, Givology directly and transparently connects individual donors

with needy students and education projects, introducing choice and communication to the giving process. For more information about Givology, please visit www.givology.org.

The Peace School

The Circle of Peace School provides free tuition and board to children from disadvantaged backgrounds, many of them aids orphans or kids from the village who have no other access to education. Known in the community as the “School that Love Built”, the Peace School delivers high quality education to children who otherwise could not afford fees. But as a family run non-profit they lack the financial resources to bring all the kids from the villages under their roof. In December 2009, the lower part of the school was evicted from its location and is currently in need of a new building for the lower levels.

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