The Haiti Kids Kino Project is organised by Bristol’s The Cube Cinema own children’s project – Nanoplex, which aims to stimulate and encourage young people’s creativity and active learning. Nanoplex regularly runs children’s workshops, cabarets, film screenings and musical events in Bristol.

The Haiti Kids Kino Project is a micro-humanitarian goodwill project to provide an opening for escape, community, emotion and social occasion to a people and a place devastated by natural disaster. Haitian children are experiencing damage and despair, and further anxiety can grow through inaction, loneliness, isolation and boredom. Sharing the experience of making and watching films, while offering a temporary respite, the Haiti Kids Kino Project will contribute to quality of life through creating, sharing, reflecting, forging friendships and connections.

Patrick McCormick, emergencies communication officer for the UN says:

“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.”

Esther May Campbell, BAFTA award winning director and Cube volunteer says:

“The Cube has always had a fantastically, hands on approach to things. As a provider of grass roots cultural exchange, this is the most direct humanitarian response it can offer. When children, who have suffered these kind of traumas have nothing to do, desperation and anxiety levels shoot through the roof. The Cube has skills, passion and networks, enabling us to create a mobile cinema for young people, intending to offer community, hope and distraction.”

The intention is not only to screen films for children, but also to provide workshops, equipment, mentoring and tuition for children to make their own films. These are then projected back to them, and back in the UK. The benefits include temporary childcare, community, sharing stories and the cinematic experience. This is intended to be a long term project that becomes a Haitian led and self sufficient initiative.

Two volunteers will be going to Haiti within the next month and the Cube project is raising funds to equip them with screens, cameras and films, vaccines and to cover travel costs.

The Haiti Kids Kino Project are urgently looking for donations of equipment and funding. There are many ways of donating:

1.  To donate the old fashioned way, please send cheques made out to ”Cube Cinema Ltd” , The HAITI KINO KIDS PROJECT c/o The Cube Cinema 4 Princess Row Bristol BS2 8NQ

2.  Or, by bank transfer to the Cube Cinema’s dedicated Haiti Kids Kino account.

ACCOUNT NAME: CUBE CINEMA LTD
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 20201907
SORT CODE: 16-58-10
Reference: Haiti Kids Kino Project

3.  Or donate this way : The HAITI SCREENINGS

http://www.bristolticketshop.co.uk/cgi-bin/shop.cgi?group=Ha…
You can buy tickets online, by phone or in person from Bristol Ticket Office for a screening in Haiti or The Dominican Republic. And, if you can’t make it yourself (!), don’t worry because your seat will go to a Young Haitian Person, and the 5 price of a ticket, goes to raising funds for The HAITI KINO KIDS PROJECT.

Please buy as many tickets as you can. Its a great way to donate.

4. If you want to make a greater donation, please get in touch directly haitikidskino@cubecinema.com

Further information on the project can be found at http://nanoplex.cubecinema.com/haiti_kids_kino.php.