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Dream Bikes

July 29, 2013

In rural India, students must walk long distances just to get to school. These long walks contribute to frequent tardiness, absenteeism, or even dropping out completely, especially for girls. While some of this may be due to social pressures that traditionally assign girls to the role of domestic helper, another major contributing factor is the insecurity and danger of walking these long distances alone. Hirabai is one of the girls completing her education thanks to the gift of a bicycle through ChildFund’s Dream Bikes program.

Focus on Early Childhood Development

July 19, 2013

I’m currently half-way through a series of videos highlighting ChildFund’s niche-core program, its Early Childhood Development program, known as ECD. It’s an assignment that, once completed, will have taken me to six different countries on four different continents. In a country where children battle with epidemics like malaria and malnutrition, ChildFund’s ECD program in India is not just allowing kids to survive, but also to thrive. By working with parents and caregivers to target children in the first five years of life, ChildFund transforms the communities in which children grow, allowing them to reach their maximum potential in life.

A Toast to Tea

March 15, 2013

If you could get a caffeine rush from walking through tea fields I’d be bouncing off walls by now. But as I’ve learned recently from shooting for Shared Interest in Uganda’s tea-growing highlands, there’s a lot involved in getting those glossy green leaves into a palatable consistency. Shared Interest, an ethical investment company out of the UK, loans exclusively to fair trade buyer and producer organizations around the globe. Hit play below (and turn on the HD!) to find out what Shared Interest is doing in this corner of Africa.

Forging New Paths in Asia

September 22, 2012

I recently returned from a whirlwind assignment through Indonesia and the Philippines where I shot three video pieces for ChildFund. Footage in the above piece was combined with coverage I shot earlier this year in Sri Lanka in order to give a broad overview of ChildFund‘s Early Childhood Development programs funded by Fonterra Dairy in Asia. ChildFund is rebuilding schools and community centers that were damaged or destroyed during Sri Lanka’s decades-long conflict and opening new centers in remote areas of Indonesia and the Philippines, working in-step with parents and community members along the way. The new centers foster social and cognitive development for children and provide a venue where parents can learn about proper sanitation and nutrition for their families. The work impacts the very future of these countries by helping to raise a generation of bright, educated, and healthy children.

Empowering Chad

September 10, 2012

My most recent video production was shot near Exxon’s oil fields in southern Chad. For women, Chad is one of the most challenging nations in which to live. But in the communities around the southern town of Doba, women are defying the status quo by becoming the leading business people of the area. Thanks to the successes of Africare‘s Initiative for Economic Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs Program (IEEWEP), women are improving the livelihoods of their families and using their excess capital to begin new ventures. Above, women participate in literacy classes outside Doba. While I look back on my time in Chad fondly, there was no shortage of difficulties associated with the making of this video. Chad is the epitome of what most westerners think of Africa: hot, humid, hard to find a good meal, and truckloads of men with big guns that I couldn’t film lest I run the[…]

Back to School in Mozambique

August 24, 2012

Only around half of children complete primary school in Mozambique. Those that do attend many times must walk miles each day to reach their school. All too often their classrooms are nothing more than the shade of a tree or huts made of makeshift materials. ChildFund is working with local communities to construct new and improved schools for children in remote areas of the country. Click above to watch an exciting video I’ve recently completed on the program. It’s great to be able to witness the abundance of joy that these children have in attending school regularly. But there’s still a lot of work to be done. Above, six year old Anatercia faces a two mile commute each day to and from her improvised classroom. Below, mothers in her community work on the construction of a new school, funded by ChildFund.

Selfless Optimism

April 25, 2012

Both of my most recent videos feature individuals who have made a difference in the lives of others in East Africa by giving their time and resources to assist in the causes of education and women’s empowerment. The above video was shot in Kibera, which is known for being East Africa’s largest slum. I had to keep well on my toes while shooting here, as the neighborhood can be dicey. We hired guides and watchmen to look out for us and to help control the curious crowds. There’s a bit of male-bashing in this piece, but it appears to be well-deserved. For anyone looking to begin a new NGO in Kenya, may I suggest addressing absentee fathers and the break-up of the family. On the whole, women in Sub-Saharan Africa face more challenges than men. Care for Kenya works with women in Kibera and Kisumu, most of whom are HIV[…]

Growing Together: ChildFund’s Work in Sri Lanka

February 1, 2012

I’ve just completed nine days in Sri Lanka with ChildFund documenting recovery efforts in rural areas. Schools and community centers were severely damaged during the civil war. ChildFund is building newer, better centers with the help of the local community on the ground. Throughout this, the organization’s educational, nutritional, and growth-monitoring programs continue. They are ever so important here among a population that has been devastated by upheaval. Despite this, Sri Lanka was perhaps the warmest and friendliest place I’ve been in some time, to which these photos will attest. The majority of meals I ate were in homes rather than at my hotel. I shot two videos spots during the week, the first of which is about Dilshan, whose family struggled to keep him in school until ChildFund’s agricultural programs stepped in. The spot will air on cable television in the US, and I have to keep it hidden[…]

Greener Pastures

August 10, 2011

My most recent video assignment is truly a story of success. The Kimaro family has graduated from poverty thanks to the programs of the environmental NGO Plant With Purpose. Several years ago Jacob & Joyce Kimaro were small farmers living in poverty and trying to make ends meet on the foothills of Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro. Things became even more difficult when Mr. Kimaro’s brother and sister-in-law passed away, and they had to take in seven extra children. It was then that the Kimaros joined VICOBA, the Village Community Bank organized by Plant With Purpose. There the family received training in sustainable agriculture practices, organic farming, and earning income while preserving the environment. VICOBA members are also able to save money jointly and access credit each week. Today the Kimaros not only have their bills paid on time, but are eating healthy and balanced diets while preserving their natural surroundings.

All for the Kids – recent videos from East Africa

July 17, 2011

Featured here are two recent videos of mine from locations across East Africa. The first is a ChildFund PSA that aired on television in the US and was filmed in Kenya’s remote Maasai land. Though ChildFund has other outlets for the footage, on this particular spot my four days of footage were cut down to meager 62 seconds. Post-production for this piece was done by the Causeway Agency. Though certainly not as polished, I did my own editing on the spot below for Light in Africa. The video is aimed at recruiting volunteers to come out to Tanzania and aid in the work. I myself am a volunteer alumnus of the organization that years ago helped inspire me to take root in East Africa. My Liberia assignment that was scheduled for this week has been postponed. I’ve instead been rerouted to Kenya to cover the catastrophic drought gripping the North[…]