Cassie paints picture of how to help children in need in Africa

When we arrive at the mall in Sydney’s northern beaches to meet young artist Cassandra Gee – better  known as CassieSwirls – she’s wearing a bright dress with multi-coloured dots and a pink skirt.

It’s apt for a little girl whose artwork is just as colourful and vibrant.

Her marbled acrylic paintings, which are complete with glitter and metallic swirls, are an expression of her feelings and one way she shares her generous and loving spirit.

The five-year-old kindy student is a keen fundraiser and, since she started painting at the age of three, has donated a proportion of the sales of her artworks to charity.

This February Cassie is donating $5 from every painting sold to ChildFund.

The money raised from her efforts will go to ChildFund’s Africa Food Crisis appeal, which is providing emergency food and water to children in Kenya impacted by the severe drought.

Mum Linda says it was important to teach Cassie to help those in need at an early age.

“It all began two years ago with her having a discussion one night about donating water bottles to kids who didn’t have water,” says mum Linda. “I thought about it and while that exact idea wasn’t practical, I knew a friend who built water tanks in Cambodia so I thought if Cassie wanted to provide clean water to children, this would be a perfect opportunity.

“After that first donation, I thought it would be a good thing to keep encouraging as she got older.”