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CNN WORLD REPORT
Cartoonists Brighten Days of the Disabled
Aired July 29, 2001 - 14:25 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SHIHAB RATTANSI, CNN ANCHOR: And comic characters are brightening the days of some children in the Netherlands. The children are all disabled but they are realizing their dreams with the help of some cartoonists.
Radio Netherlands Television reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE RNTV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gerry Mondills, a Dutch cartoonist is on the way to a school for mentally disabled children to make this young girl called Naomi happy with a comic strip. Naomi suffers from down syndrome, but that didn't stop her for coming up with a fancy story, in which she is the star. All she did was draw the actual comic scenes.
GERRY MONDILLS, CARTOONIST (through translator): I draw the dream-come-true stories for these kids because they are not able to do it for themselves. Children love to draw and I am gladly lending them my hands.
RNTV CORRESPONDENT: The idea behind it is to give disabled children a chance to escape from their daily lives. Take Anelyse (ph), a 15-year-old girl that suffers from spasms. As she explains, her own comic figure does all the things she cannot do, like playing soccer and jumping out of a plane, and this is downright therapeutical.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Whenever I feel sad about not being able to walk, I always have a look at this comic strip. It cheers me up, because it takes my mind off of the sad things in my life.
RNTV CORRESPONDENT: This was drawn by Gerry as well. Besides her own work, she has gathered a group of socially committed Dutch cartoonists with one thing in common.
They are happy to donate their spare time to help the disabled kids.
HANS COLIWENBERG, CARTOONIST (through translator): It is a very natural way of giving these kids attention, I feel like I am building a bridge between their somewhat limited lives and the rest of the world. RNTV CORRESPONDENT: But to what extent can the kids cope with the fantasy of not being disabled? In other words, isn't there a risk these kids will become unhappy when they realize that the fantasy world will always be just that, a fantasy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't have to patronize the kids. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for instance, is very much aware of her position, we just give them something to escape reality for a while.
RNTV CORRESPONDENT: Meanwhile, an anxious Naomi receives her very own cartoon, in which she kisses the famous Dutch actor. The other kids in the group are anxious because their cartoons will be drawn in the near future. It is a slow process, but these kids already know it is worth waiting for.
Radio Netherlands Television for the CNN WORLD REPORT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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