In the months following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, relief organizations have been clamoring to provide basic necessities like food, clean water, medical supplies and shelter to Haitians affected by the disaster.
Instead of supplies, one two-man volunteer team is providing something altogether different for Haitian children. The Haiti Kids Kino Project, sponsored by the U.K.-based nonprofit art center Cube Cinema, is providing outdoor film screenings for Haitian communities. So far, volunteers Marko Wilkinson and David Fitzsimmons have shown popular films such as "Up" and "WALL-E" to hundreds of Haitian kids.
For the children, many of whom were traumatized by the earthquake and the experience of losing family members, friends and homes, attending a film screening is a welcome break from reality.
Patrick McCormick, emergencies communication officer for the UN, said: "The worst thing for children in natural disasters isn't just the damage that they see around them, but also when they sit around with nothing to do. It ramps up anxiety and despair, and that's what does even more damage."
The creators of the Haiti Kids Kino Project hope to make the effort into an ongoing, sustainable project. They are encouraging the public to make donations and host fundraisers to support their work.