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Paint the Globe foundation helps impoverished communities around the world through art
by: Liberty Simmons
Posted: Feb 7, 2024 / 08:45 PM EST
Updated: Feb 7, 2024 / 08:45 PM EST
ALEXANDRIA (DC News Now) — An Alexandria man is using artwork to help impoverished communities across the world.
Founder of Artist and Paint the Globe Foundation, Gabriel Williams, details how he finds the most beautiful art in the most unlikely places.
Williams’ home in Alexandria is almost like an art gallery — an ode to his travels all over the world.
“I’ve been an artist my entire life,” he said. “Through my travels I’ve noticed that I had a responsibility because I was able to see people who lived in poverty and abject conditions —much different than what we’re experiencing here in America.”
His home also serves as storage for supplies for his non-profit, dedicated to helping improvised communities far away.
A refugee who did not want to be named said he was helped by Williams’ foundation.
“As a refugee, actually that’s something that’s actually facing us,” the refugee said. “We are in a lot of frustration and some are in a lot of stress.”
Williams’ first project was in Kenya where he delivered art supplies and held art workshops for refugees fleeing war.
“These are people who literally had to run through the bush to escape gun fire. People who lost their mother and father with their own two eyes but still are standing on their own two feet,” Williams said.
Williams created artwork he would later sell to raise funds for the refugees.
“I feel like the best art sometimes comes out of dark places,” he said.
His next project was in Thailand where he used art to help exploited and abused children heal.
“Our aim and our goal of that exercise is allow kids to be kids and allow them to also have the means to express themselves. Express how they feel and put a mask where they could smile and be happy because a lot of them are carrying the wait of their trauma,” Williams said.
Another project led him to Tanzania, where he met villagers without access to clean water.
“There is no water to drink,” one Tanzanian said. “Even the children are getting malnutrition because there is no water for them to drink or for cooking.”
“The problem was that in order for them to get water, the women would have to walk at least 10 miles going and 10 miles coming back. So that’s anywhere from 15 to 20 miles just for one trip of water,” the Tanzanian said.
Paint the Globe Foundation built a system to provide clean water to a village of 5,000.
“Our greetings to the Paint the Globe foundation workers,” said a Tanzanian helped by the foundation. “The friends of United States who donated to us to get this water. You, Mr. Gabriel and we really, really, really pray the Global foundation for what they did for us.”
Williams constantly gathering art supplies and donations for his next global project.
“We have a responsibility to provide resources to them, to provide them opportunity and whatever is in our capacity to make a difference,” Williams said.
He is now working to get financial support to build a visionary art center in Rwanda —continuing his mission to use art to help change the world.
“We do have the ability to touch people here and far,” he said. “So we’re literally painting the globe metaphorically and literally.”