ESCUINCLE

About this project

While walking around in Querétaro, Mexico during my first day at the Board Dripper Festival, I came across a child no older than 6 years old, holding his younger sister in his lap while sitting next to a basket of candy and bubblegum. My first thought was to take out my camera to take a picture and upload another corny picture of a child struggling, but instead I painted this mural based on this depressing social issue.

We are so used to seeing images online and in movies of kids starving on the streets just trying to survive each day, that we forget that there are actually real kids with this reality. Most of them come from extremely poor families that migrate from the countryside into the city looking to better their living situation. While painting this mural I found that a lot these kids aren’t forced to sell candy and snacks by their parents, most of the kids choose to work in order to be able to afford things like school supplies. But the truth is no child should have to work for any reason.