My 100 Daughters Coloring Book Update

I’ve been drawing My 100 Daughters for six months.  Rising Star provided amazing photos of the girls of India.  

Since then I’ve illustrated, researched and found ways to draw them as I see them –beautiful, priceless, protected and perfect.  

These girls are from leprosy colonies.  

They have been hungry, even starving, they have begged, they have gone without, they have experienced things I will never understand.  

I have never met them, but I feel like I know them. 

Inspired by the shack and girl in this photo, this is what I drew.

I have loved them from afar for years. 

So far, I have now drawn 78 girls.  I’ve looked into their eyes, seen their unkept hair, studied their clothing, searched the India landscape, learned about their customs, and more.  I’ve never been to India, but a project like this draws my heart there.

A few days ago, I had a wonderful conversation with Amy, the director of Rising Star Outreach India.  Rising Star provides a school and much more for the children from leprosy colonies.  Through them, my family now sponsors three girls.

I loved meeting Becky Douglas and Amy Humphrey.

As I’m approaching the end of the project, I feel like something’s missing.  After prayer and fasting, I realized it was their stories.  But how?  How do I collect stories from girls a world away?  Amy said she would help and we discussed the type of questions we could ask:

What is the hardest thing you’ve ever done?

What do you do that makes you happy?

What do you want to be when you grow up?

What are your talents?  What do you think you’re really good at?

What’s the most precious thing to you?

What’s the most valuable thing to you?

A memory of your happiest moment.

Amy mentioned to me how families in the leprosy colonies sleep in small shacks and some of the parent’s sleep sitting up because there’s no place to lie down. I want to capture these details in the book My 100 Daughters.  Also, facts about Rising Star Outreach and quotes from the founder Becky Douglas.

I was inspired by this photograph of this cutie and decided to draw many little girls (and animals) holding their own coloring page.

50% of the proceeds of My 100 Daughters will go Rising Star to sponsor girls. It would be amazing if I could travel to India next summer.  When Amy and I first spoke in March 2017 I told her I hoped to raise enough money to sponsor 100 girls.  She said I would sponsor way more then 100 girls.  She planted that seed in my heart and I believe that with all my soul, but I can't do it without you.  I need your support.  When I launch My 100 Daughters in October, I hope you'll share the link with your friends, purchase the coloring book for yourself, your daughters, your friends and more. 

My daughter Eden loves to color.  She was the one who suggested My 100 Daughters should be a coloring book.

Here's Eden in her little shirt from India.  She's become very interested in India.

 It’s been touching to see her look at the illustrations, each time taking the page to her desk, pulling out her paint supplies, sharpening her colored pencils, asking questions about the girls and coloring them with such care.  In the past, I’ve looked for coloring books for her at the book store and on-line.  Many of the coloring books are Disney princesses and commercial products like Shopkins or Sophia the First.  I’ve wanted to have her color art that teaches something, not just promote more stereotypes and commercialism.  My 100 Daughters has introduced her to something she may spend the rest of her life learning about.  She’s bonded with the girls of India and understands they need our help. Children are so interested in what other children in the world go through.  

Here's my little niece Emma coloring the girls.

My students have taken a deep interest in the girls of India. 

They want to know what's going on and how they can help.

The coloring book My 100 Daughters will be released October 11, 2017 – The International Day of the Girl (Amy’s brilliant idea).  It will be available on Amazon.  Please follow me on facebook (lauralofgreen or My Dear Trash) or instagram (lalalofgreen) for updates.  I’m also working on a short video about the project.