A group of volunteered artists have brought lively colors to the rundown neighborhoods of Iraq's capital Baghdad by painting the gloomy alleys there with creative murals, which they believe can ignite hope in underprivileged communities.

The painters from the "Butterfly Effect" voluntary group are painting bright-colored murals in the city's rundown neighborhoods.

The group's founder Ali Khalifa, 31, said he wants to bring joy and hope to the local people with the paintings.

"Here's a slum area, and the living environment is very poor. The little girl in the painting is looking out of the window. She symbolizes the children living here who are yearning for freedom and world outside," he said.

Khalifa used to work on repairing and painting houses. The idea of forming the voluntary group came in 2017 when he was invited to paint on the fences of a school and a kindergarten. He was touched by the joy of children as they saw the paintings on the wall.

Khalifa was inspired by the concept "Butterfly Effect" that a butterfly flapping its wings can later cause a tornado. The name is a symbol of their painting work to give joy and hope to others, as Khalifa believes that small causes can have large effects.

Over the past six years, Khalifa and his team of 20 members have already painted tens of hundreds of murals for schools and alleys voluntarily.

"The most exciting thing is the forgotten neighborhoods are gradually known to the outside world because of the murals. Tourists from all over the world are coming here to visit," said Khalifa.