Vision

To enhance the psychosocial wellbeing of children in the context of HIV and AIDS, poverty and conflict, through the creative arts.

Mission

To equip care workers with creative arts tools in the psychosocial support and care of children.

Creative Arts Therapists have specialised training and skills which enables psycho therapeutic work to occur through the media of art, drama, music and play.

In 2003, Creative Arts Therapists in South Africa responded to the large scale of vulnerable children in need of psychosocial support and care.  The ‘FireMaker’ project was conceived to develop skills and build capacity amongst child care workers and organizations working in the field of HIV and AIDS, poverty and conflict, across Africa, using creative arts processes.

The Therapists have identified aspects of their work which will be valuable yet safe for the child care workers to use.  These ‘tools’ support and enhance the work the care workers already do.

The FireMaker Project is a series of three day workshops, supervision and mentoring for child care workers. The course focuses on experiential learning and equips participants with techniques like puppet making, story telling, art and clay activities as well as exploring basic child development theory.

The FireMaker workshops have been conducted in a number of regions including the Eastern and Southern Africa Region, South America and the Middle East.

Our Aims:

In order to formulate an effective and accessible training programme, which addresses relevant and specific needs of particular communities, we have approached it in the following way:
Once participants are competent in using the creative arts tools they will be equipped to working with children :

• In building relationship and trust
• Exploring the themes of safety and resilience
• Expressing feelings the issues affecting their lives
• Being aware of the importance of care for the care worker

We have run FireMaker Workshops in a variety of contexts:

• FireMaker Pilot Workshops for child care workers in Bela Bela, Soweto and Guguletu
• FireMaker workshops with the following organisations in the Western Cape: Child Wefare, Hope Worldwide, Umtha Welanga, G.A.P.A, The Homestead, Ons Plek, Ikamva Labantu, Phillipi Trust, Zusakhe Aids Link, Beautiful Gate AIDS Care Centre, SOS Children’s Village, Ikhwezi Centre, Fikelele, Home from Home, WC NACOSA, Siyaya
• FireMaker workshops in Limpopo Province: Bela Bela HIV/AIDS Clinic
• FireMaker Workshops in Gauteng:  Chris Hani Baragwanath Perinatal HIV Research Unit, HIVSA, WITS Consortium, Sithandi’ Zingane
• FireMaker Workshops in KwaZulu Natal: Rob Smetheran Bereavement Service
• FireMaker Workshops in Beirut, Lebanon: AID Lebanon
• FireMaker Workshops in Belo Horizonte, Brazil: YWAM
• FireMaker Workshops in Harare, Zimbabwe: Oasis, PEPE and Tanaka