Meet Shine Together, a group of care levers who were supported by our charity partner Forget Me Not and are now advocating for change themselves. This group recently held an art exhibition highlighting the experience of children who have lived through orphanage life.
About Shine Together
We are a group of 37 young people. Our dream and mission is to change the policies and practices that support us and help us thrive in our families and communities. We expect a secure future for people with lived experience of the care system and the children still living in institutions. There are 11,202 children in 418 registered children’s homes in Nepal.
The exhibition: "Hidden stories behind stolen childhood"
We celebrated our 3rd anniversary and used art as a medium to tell our stories, ‘Hidden stories behind stolen childhood’ through a 2-day art exhibition.
The gallery showcased artworks depicting our inner struggles as children and young people with lived experience of care, our everyday struggle with past memories, rebuilding identity and culture and seeking light and positivity to live life.
Our team of artists bravely waved goodbye to their nervous selves, welcoming people to listen to our hidden stories of stolen childhood. The aim was to raise broader awareness of the harms of separating children from their families and sending them away to orphanages and the long-term impact it has on us and our mental health.
Our ask to governments, donors, and CSOs is to provide every support in families so that no child goes through the pain and struggles we went through. We demand aftercare support services for children and young people with lived experience of the care system in Nepal.
We are coming together as a young family and healing in our safe space. We are delighted to share that our art exhibition was a great success. It was held on December 1 & 2, 2023, and was attended by over 200 people, including care experienced from other organisations, media, national artists, government officials, and the UN.
‘When one of us shines, we all shine.’ Archie Roach
The gallery showcased artworks depicting our inner struggles as children and young people with lived experience of care, our everyday struggle with past memories, rebuilding identity and culture and seeking light and positivity to live life.
Our team of artists bravely waved goodbye to their nervous selves, welcoming people to listen to our hidden stories of stolen childhood. The aim was to raise broader awareness of the harms of separating children from their families and sending them away to orphanages and the long-term impact it has on us and our mental health.
Our ask to governments, donors, and CSOs is to provide every support in families so that no child goes through the pain and struggles we went through. We demand aftercare support services for children and young people with lived experience of the care system in Nepal.
We are coming together as a young family and healing in our safe space. We are delighted to share that our art exhibition was a great success. It was held on December 1 & 2, 2023, and was attended by over 200 people, including care experienced from other organisations, media, national artists, government officials, and the UN.
‘When one of us shines, we all shine.’ Archie Roach