The “Invisible Children” charity art exhibition opens at the United Nations European Headquarters in Geneva | VIVA LA VIDA × Beijing Felicity Foundation × WFUNA × Meet Charity

At 00:00 on 24 January 2020 in Beijing (17:00 on 23 January, Geneva time), the ‘Invisible Children’ charity art exhibition—jointly organised by the Beijing Leyi Public Welfare Foundation and its strategic partners, the Shenzhen Ciyuan Charitable Foundation, the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) and the Viva la Vida Global Art Project—officially opened in the Circular Exhibition Hall of WFUNA.

Nicolas Oikonomidis –– Representative of the Permanent Mission of Greece

Aurora Matteni –––– Representative of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Croatia

Eric Willumsen –––– Rector of the International University of Geneva

Elisa Gazzoti –––– Chair of the NGO Working Group on Human Rights Education

Philip Dive –––– Coordinator of the SUN National Liaison Group, United Nations Programme Affairs Group

Samantha Rudick –––– Policy Expert, SUN, United Nations Programme Affairs Group

and more than 40 other representatives from United Nations bodies and organisations from various countries attended the event.

At the opening ceremony, Jiang Ruobing, representing the Beijing Leyi Public Welfare Foundation; Saraana Enkhjin, representing the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA); Lü Xiaoning, representing the Viva la Vida Global Art Project; and Shi Mei, representing the Shenzhen Ciyuan Charitable Foundation, all delivered speeches, expressing their appreciation for the event and offering their best wishes.

The exquisite paintings on display—created by children suffering from serious illnesses who had been helped by the compassion of the wider community—exuded sincere and moving emotions, as well as hopeful expectations for the future. Their stories were imbued with a tenacious yearning for life and unyielding resilience. All of this deeply moved the audience present.

Representatives from various international institutions and organisations attending the exhibition opening were deeply moved by the children’s artwork and the stories behind them. They expressed their desire to raise awareness amongst a wider audience about these children in China who are in need of assistance. Furthermore, they hoped for opportunities to further expand cooperation between international charitable organisations and the foundation organising this event, thereby enabling more children to receive the necessary medical and educational support.

This art exhibition will be on display at the United Nations until 3 February 2020. It is hoped that, through the exhibition and the website, art will serve as a medium for reflecting on the meaning of life and for advancing the field of children’s charity.

About the Organisation

Viva la Vida (VIVA) is a cross-cultural arts brand operating in over 60 countries worldwide, dedicated to documenting life stories through art, promoting cross-cultural understanding and social welfare. We invite people from diverse cultural backgrounds to answer the question ‘What is your life?’ through a painting, thereby documenting a variety of life stories and fostering cross-cultural understanding.

Over the past seven years, VIVA has collaborated with organisations such as the United Nations, Coca-Cola and Tencent to organise more than 400 events and collect over 20,000 life portraits, transforming individual expression into a bridge for cultural dialogue.

The Beijing Leyi Public Welfare Foundation (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Leyi Foundation’) is a charitable organisation registered with the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs in 2012. For many years, guided by the charitable philosophy of ‘Joy in Doing Good’, it has called upon compassionate individuals from all walks of life to actively participate in charitable activities.

The Leyi Foundation utilises the power of diverse media channels to promote public engagement in charitable causes. It has organised nearly one hundred charity events nationwide, attracting the participation and support of approximately 300,000 generous donors, and has built up a strong network of volunteer partners both in China and abroad.

In the future, the Leyi Foundation will continue to promote the development of the charitable sector through public welfare projects such as poverty alleviation and educational support, striving to become a professional foundation that leads innovation in the field of philanthropy.