Blooms of Nigeria

I was disgusted and heartbroken when I heard about the recent kidnapping of nearly 300 girls from their school in Nigeria. That's why when my friend and former MICA instructor, Rebecca Bradley, contacted me to see if I would be interested in doing something for the girls through illustration, I was eager to see what we could do. Together we came up with Blooms of Nigeria, an online tribute gallery to spread awareness and show solidarity with the missing girls and the people of Nigeria.

Blooms of Nigeria logo

We have reached out to 180 female artists to create flowers for each of the 180 missing girls whose names have so far been released to the public. We're only a few days into the project but so far there are already dozens of beautifully illustrated flowers on the site! I'm so excited by the talented artists who have agreed to participate in the project!

My flower for Tabitha

Obviously what has happened to these girls is a big problem, and what we're doing is a very small gesture. My dream is that all of the missing girls will be brought home safe and sound and know that they were not forgotten, that people all over the world cared for them while they were gone and still care for their futures. I want for these girls to be able to go back to school, where they will blossom into intelligent and compassionate leaders of tomorrow. If this is also your dream, I hope that you will consider donating an organizations such as  Girl Rising, which is helping to provide education for girls in Africa and around the world.

You can follow Blooms of Nigeria on Tumblr, Facebook, and Twitter.