Our program
I Am Who?
A life book children build themselves through art, music, movement, and story — helping them develop confidence, self-worth, resilience, and hope. Cited by UNICEF as a “Best Practice” therapeutic tool.
How it works
Teachers and schools know their communities best and can identify the children most in need. These relationships ensure the program reaches the children who need it most.
Through art, music, movement, and story, each child builds a life book of their own — the work of discovering their value and believing in their potential.
ECS operates currently in Malawi partnering with ten designated village schools and has served over 3,000 children since 2012.
The book
A life book, kept forever
Each section of I Am Who? begins with a creative activity or “game.” When the game is complete, the child makes an entry in their book: something formed or found, photos from that day, thoughts about the activity. Over a year, each child answers the question — I Am Who?
The accomplishments captured in the book help children recognize their unique gifts, acknowledge their losses, gain strength from memories of people who have loved them, and believe they have a place in the future of a world that needs their contribution.
The book is each child's personal and permanent possession — a lasting record of their own resilience they can return to whenever life is hard.
Artwork from the I Am Who? book, illustrated by Diana Magnuson.
Whenever I open my I Am Who? book, I feel my father is close to me.
Children in the I Am Who? program This painting game makes me feel warm in my heart.
Children in the I Am Who? program I love this imagination game. The tiny tree is growing with no sorrow or sadness.
Children in the I Am Who? program
Who it helps
Designed for children facing life challenges
Family members, teachers, social workers, and counselors can use I Am Who? with school-age children in group or one-on-one settings. Older children can enjoy the book on their own as a journal and scrapbook.
Every child
Orphaned children, children with disabilities, children in counseling — and any child working out who they are — grow in confidence and hope.
Grief and loss
Children grieving loved ones, and children of divorced or blended families, find comfort in acknowledging their memories.
Family transitions
Adopted children, children in foster care, immigrant children, and homeless children build a stable sense of identity.
The books
Buy the book
All proceeds from I Am Who? provide copies free of charge to children in need.
I Am Who?
The child's life book — the activities and the pages they fill in themselves.
I Am Who? Instruction Book
The step-by-step guide for the adult leading a child or a group through the year.
