Help Victoria and Her Children Thrive Through Art

Dear Friends,

I am writing to you today with a heavy heart, but also with hope and determination.

My name is Victoria, and I am a single mother of two beautiful children, ages 2 and 5 currently living in South Africa. I am temporarily disabled after undergoing two C-sections, leaving me unable to work in the traditional sense. My eldest child is the result of a traumatic experience—I am a survivor of rape from an ex-boyfriend, a crime for which justice was never served in my home country. The man who violated me walks free, while I am left to heal both physically and emotionally, trying to create a stable future for my children.

As an African woman, l've endured incredible hardships but I refuse to let these experiences define my future. I am a visual artist, and through my work, I tell the stories of women and children who, like me, face enormous challenges every day.

My art is my voice, my healing process, and my way of showing the strength and beauty that exists even in the darkest times.

I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship from Mastercard to pursue my master's degree, but I lost it due to severe back issues that that now plague me.

This has left me stranded in a foreign country with no financial support and two small children to care for while also pursuing my dream of becoming a full-time artist.

My artwork focuses on the strength and struggles of women and children. I use acrylic paint on card to explore the societal issues we face-poverty, violence, and the constant battle for dignity.

My thick brushstrokes and layered paintings reflect the complexity of our lives, while the delicate pencil figures I draw represent our fragility. I paint bold clothing to symbolize our identities, and I strive to show the beauty that exists even in our hardest moments and through my art, I hope to raise awareness about the quiet resilience of women like me and to provide a space for others to see our stories through my eyes.

Today, I am asking for your help. I need to raise funds to support my children and me, to complete my master's degree, and to continue using art as both my livelihood and my path to healing. Every donation, no matter the size, will make a difference in our lives.

Natalie, the owner and founder of an International Art Gallery, nDesign Art Haus, that I have met through an online art group has accepted my inquiry as a client and vows to help me learn to market and sell my artwork but I have no funds to compensate her or her business for their time.

The funds that are generated will also help me pay nDesign Art Haus for their help with building me a website and market my art, to which I have no experience in but Natalie and her team have offered to consult me step by step so that I can reach anyone and everyone I can with my story.

The funds will go towards the cost of building a website for me, marketing my artwork and helping me get some basic art supplies. Any funds left over will go towards clothing and food for my children.

Please help me rebuild my life for my children and for myself, as I strive to overcome the trauma and suffering, we have endured.

I believe in the power of art to heal, and with your support, I can continue to use it as a means of survival, strength and hope. strive to overcome the trauma and suffering we have endured.

Thank you for any support you can offer.

With gratitude,

Victoria Machipisa