The Kreyol term for unicorn is “Pony Magique” or “Chevelle Sassy”. By the July 2012 trip to Haiti, the girls at the OJFA orphanage had become quite familiar with this mythical creature, thanks to the popular and ever-present Project HOPE Art mascot, Magical Unicorn. Magical Unicorn is about a foot and a half long, with magical purple sparkly hair and a gold horn. She is quite popular with the kids at the OJFA girls’ orphanage.
PHA decided it was time to give the girls their OWN magical powers, through their very own custom-created Pony Magique horns. We used card stock to pre-make the horns, and then gave the girls sequins, stickers, gems, glue, glitter glue and scraps of paper. The girls did not require even the slightest instructions before they saw the horns and the piles of craft supplies and immediately went to work creating elaborate, sparkly, magical horns. They made underwater-themed horns with sparkly seaweed and brightly colored fish. They made flower-themed horns, and butterfly-themed horns, and other intricately detailed combinations. Glitter abounded, covering every horn and every child in sparkles and light.
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Each girl got to take her special horn home, for those times when they need some extra magical strength. It was quite the site to see a herd of 16 little glittering unicorns marching home that evening through the streets of Port Au Prince. It was a sight to make Magical Unicorn proud.