3 months ago
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Posted On: August 1st 2026, 08:00 am
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The story behind Firefly International
Firefly International began in 1995, when Ellie Maxwell, then a 21-year-old student from the University of Edinburgh, travelled to post-war Bosnia and started a youth project in Mostar to help displaced children rebuild trust across divided communities through art and music.
From that single project grew Firefly, a charity dedicated to supporting children affected by war through education and the arts. Ellie passed away at just 32, but her belief that creativity could rebuild what conflict breaks apart lives on in everything Firefly does today.
Firefly works with exceptional local partners who run the only inter-ethnic youth club and pre-school in Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, alongside trauma-informed education in Syria, art therapy for Palestinian child refugees in Egypt, and mental health support for children in Palestine.
Despite its small size, Firefly continues to help rebuild hope for children after war, built on the belief that arts and education can bring communities together, heal trauma, and build bridges in divided societies. A belief at the heart of Artists for Firefly too.
Art historian and Firefly supporter @thebenstreet , a friend of Ellie's, put it best:
"Creativity is the basic unit of how Firefly works. When my friend Ellie started Firefly, it was her belief that making art together can be a model for living together, and artists have generously donated their work to Artists for Firefly to allow this belief to keep going. To be an artist is to manifest a faith that human activity can point beyond itself, and through Artists for Firefly we can support Ellie's mission to bring creativity to help children traumatised by war."
All proceeds from the Artists for Firefly sale go directly towards this work, giving children the chance to heal, create and dream.
Follow along and be ready to buy when the sale opens on 28 September, in partnership with @bonhamsscotland and @artwisecurators.
#ArtistsForFirefly #FireflyInternational #Bonhams #ArtForGood
Firefly International began in 1995, when Ellie Maxwell, then a 21-year-old student from the University of Edinburgh, travelled to post-war Bosnia and started a youth project in Mostar to help displaced children rebuild trust across divided communities through art and music.
From that single project grew Firefly, a charity dedicated to supporting children affected by war through education and the arts. Ellie passed away at just 32, but her belief that creativity could rebuild what conflict breaks apart lives on in everything Firefly does today.
Firefly works with exceptional local partners who run the only inter-ethnic youth club and pre-school in Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, alongside trauma-informed education in Syria, art therapy for Palestinian child refugees in Egypt, and mental health support for children in Palestine.
Despite its small size, Firefly continues to help rebuild hope for children after war, built on the belief that arts and education can bring communities together, heal trauma, and build bridges in divided societies. A belief at the heart of Artists for Firefly too.
Art historian and Firefly supporter @thebenstreet , a friend of Ellie's, put it best:
"Creativity is the basic unit of how Firefly works. When my friend Ellie started Firefly, it was her belief that making art together can be a model for living together, and artists have generously donated their work to Artists for Firefly to allow this belief to keep going. To be an artist is to manifest a faith that human activity can point beyond itself, and through Artists for Firefly we can support Ellie's mission to bring creativity to help children traumatised by war."
All proceeds from the Artists for Firefly sale go directly towards this work, giving children the chance to heal, create and dream.
Follow along and be ready to buy when the sale opens on 28 September, in partnership with @bonhamsscotland and @artwisecurators.
#ArtistsForFirefly #FireflyInternational #Bonhams #ArtForGood
Comments (2)
3 months agogowiththewolf76
Ah yes please , count me in , am amongst may things a mother and an art teacher and a yoga teacher and reflexologist with a wish to care ….! I need new work after Xmas when my cover teaching role ends…?
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