A global connection: a refugee child and a Clarion traveler

On August 7, 2015, Mark Szabo of Budapest, Hungary, sat down with friends to paint in a park near his home. He was back for the summer from his PhD studies in Nottingham, England, at a time when János Pál pápa tér (Pope John Paul II Park) in Budapest was temporary home to many refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

As they painted, one refugee child asked Szabo to share the melon he was eating. Szabo and his friends then invited some of the children to paint with them. The picture to the left, drawn by a child whose name is unknown, will be on display at Clarion-Goldfield-Dows High School for the remainder of the school year.

The picture was brought to Clarion by Matt Voigts, also a PhD student at Nottingham (and former editor of the Monitor) who visited his friend Szabo in August. When he saw the pictures, Voigts knew he wanted to bring one home to Iowa.

“In many ways it’s not different from what a child in Clarion would draw,” Voigts said. “There are many, many children—there’s a lot of ongoing need.” By bringing the picture home, Voigts hoped to bring more awareness of the ongoing refugee situation.

 

For the full story, see the May 19 edition of the Monitor.

Wright County Monitor

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