We Believe in Ballons | A Girl Travels

Want to make a difference in someones life in a war-torn city? Don’t have the funds or time to go? Join me and thousands of others in a campaign to share 10,000 pink balloons with the people of Kabul, Afghanistan.

The Project

NY-based artist Yazmany Arboleda is taking his 10,000 Balloons public art project to Kabul, Afghanistan. The project is live right now! People from all over the world are purchasing balloons so that on a surprise Saturday morning, Arboleda and a team of 130 Afghani volunteers will hand out 10,000 pink balloons in Kabul. (Afghanistan is one of five countries that start their work week on a Saturday.)

This is an awesome and creative project that’s meant to bond a war-torn city.

Why Pink?

Pink represents the feminine voice, which in Afghanistan has always been beaten down and disenfranchised. It takes a “suspension of belief,” Arboleda says, to imagine a woman talking to a man in public space, but that’s exactly what his team is going to do (half are men and half are women). On Saturday, May 11 (date embargoed cause it’s a surprise), the start of the Afghan work week, Arboleda’s team will surprise the city with the bio-degradable balloons and personal messages written inside.

Arboleda is a Columbian-born, NY-based artist and has done similar projects in Bangalore, Nairobi and Yamaguchi. The difference is that those were funded by cultural groups and this time he wanted to make it global + crowdfunded.

It’s $1 to buy a balloon and write a message and be included on the WeBelieveInBalloons mural. Arboleda has already gotten approval from Afghani gov to put the mural up permanently at Afghanistan International Airport after the project is done.

How can you help?

10,000 Balloons For $1

Visit the Participate Now page where you can buy one balloon, upload your picture, and write a message. Or, you can collaborate on behalf of colleagues, teammates, family, friends, social media audiences, clients, partners, by buying multiple balloons and uploading pictures. Please retweet and share this project with your friends, family, and on your social media outlets! I purchased my balloon yesterday. See if you can find me on the mural!