Pepe & The Flying Balloon
{ Pepe & The Flying Balloon } is handmade fiction-based dolls which are sold to benefit the welfare of the children in KDM.
THE OBJECTIVE(S):
(1) to create a simple craft project that cultivates confidence, creativity & discipline for the children of KDm to achieve an understanding of entrepreneurship;
(2) to create a story & packaging of the project that can increase public awareness of the growing social problem with abandon children of the streets;
(3) to empower every individual (the children, the organizers & the customers) involved in this project that every single small effort can make a difference.
THE IMPLEMENTATION:
I created the character ‘Pepe’ and wrote a short fiction that is based on the life of these unfortunate children of the streets. The story and the character have simple and approachable qualities that appeal to a universal audience. The packaging was designed to resemble the paper pouch you get when you buy traditional snacks from the street vendors, and it contains information on KDM, the benefit of Pepe Project, and how to be a volunteer in this organization. The making of Pepe dolls involves ten ultra-simple steps that can be executed by almost any mature child. Pepe dolls are hand-stitched using reclaimed tulisaN printed materials, making each doll unique and making sure the material does not go to waste. During the initial production-training, the kids undergo a short internship program at Tulisan. Aside from selling from our store and online shop, Pepe dolls are also sold directly by KDM children during several non-profit events. All proceeds (95% of sales)
go to KDM. With every purchase of a Pepe doll, the customer is asked to sign a poster-size petition which states ‘stop child abuse, stop hunger, give love and education to the children of the street’.
RESULTS:
Within the first biennium, the total earnings (sold in our store and online shop) made by KDM through this project is around USD 15,000 – these earnings exclude the direct sales by KDM children.
PERFORMING ART AT ERASMUS HUIS:
In 2013, choreographers Lauri Kee Schep and Anne Rooze, from the CHANCE TO DANCE FOUNDATION volunteered at KDM to teach children the fundamentals of contemporary dance. CHANCE TO DANCE is a non-profit organization that helps underprivileged children to realize their dreams of dancing. They believe that all children deserve the opportunity to dance. After two months of practicing with children from KDM the results were phenomenal: dancing, just like Pepe, had given
the children confidence and hope. Thus the idea to join forces with Tulisan and merge the charitable projects evolved and soon the children and their choreographers had created a musical rendition of “Pepe and the Flying Balloon” at Erasmus Huis.
