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Post Tagged with: "female"

Solar for Your Health

November 26, 2012

How does an NGO combine sustainable energy with family planning and reproductive health services? It can only happen in Africa, where there’s serious demand for both. Pathfinder International’s integrated programs in Uganda are helping to kill two giant birds with one stone. Remote Bussi Island, in Lake Victoria, is home to a number of small fishing communities. The island has little infrastructure and is not connected to the national grid. Most people use small paraffin (kerosene) lamps to see at night, provided they can afford to buy the paraffin. Pathfinder, who has been working to improve maternal health and increase access to family planning services on the island for several years, knew that nurses and other health care workers struggled to carry out essential services once the sun set. Solar-generated electricity became the solution for Bussi’s Health Center as well as other health centers in the country. Above, a woman[…]

Off-Duty Shots

November 16, 2012

I find that most photographers fall into one of two categories: those that carry their camera around everywhere they go, and those whose camera is packed safely away in the cupboard when not on assignment. I generally fall into the category of the latter. When I’m on assignment I’m in the zone. Creating interesting photographs of everyday subject matter consumes a great deal of energy, so most of the time I use it sparingly. Most of the time, that is. Time spent with good friends in one of my favorite corners on the planet, the Soroti area of Uganda, calls for an impromptu breakout of the camera. My friends Boas and Annet make for most of the subject matter herein, save for John Simon Okiror, below, who died a few days after this photo was taken.

Where There Is No Doctor

October 13, 2012

Pathfinder International’s mobile health care camps bring family planning services, HIV testing, ante-natal care, and immunizations to isolated communities that otherwise would not have access to health services. The following were taken on a rainy day in Kyanjojo and Kasese, in Western Uganda. “The hospital is very far and there are no midwives to attend to them in case a woman goes into labor at night… We are losing very many mothers. You never know which pregnancy will not be proper or which pregnancy will lead to death,” says midwife Harriet Kegonzi, shown above. Pathfinder also emphasizes contraception as a principal method of bringing down high maternal mortality rates. With more than six children per mother on average, Uganda consistently ranks among the highest fertility rates in the world.

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[…]

Mother in Charge

June 3, 2012

I recently completed a couple of weeks in Ethiopia’s Oromia Region. I’ll likely complete four or five videos once the dust settles, literally. Here’s the first. Werdi is the lead mother and manager of ChildFund‘s Early Childhood Development center in Fantale, Ethiopia. In a rural area where girls traditionally don’t receive an education, she’s a bold supporter and advocate for social change in her village. ChildFund‘s work relies on individuals at a community level. The ECD program in Fantale prepares young ones for primary school, and insures they receive proper nutrition and medical care during their crucial early years. It is also successfully navigating complex social customs in order to bring about change in the lives of young people and families.

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[…]

Spicing Things Up

November 14, 2011

It’s good to be back at work in Uganda again. Of the all African countries I frequent, it seems to be the place where I spend most of my personal time, but where I actually work the least. For this assignment I traveled with Tracey Spicer, an Australian journalist and news anchor who was reporting on the work of ActionAid for the Daily Telegraph and other editorial and broadcast outlets. Spicer highlighted ActionAid‘s work on women’s rights and domestic violence in Eastern Uganda. She knows first-hand what it’s like to experience gender discrimination. Her firing in 2006 from Network Ten (via email) after returning from maternity leave garnered much attention in the media and started a nation-wide debate about gender discrimination in the workplace. Since then she has been bringing to light the stories of voiceless women who have faced hardship or abuse. Click on the article above to read[…]

Africa’s True Survivors

October 24, 2011

I endured photographing in Dar es Salaam’s grueling heat yesterday morning, but it’s nothing compared to what some of these women have gone though. Yes, women get breast cancer in Africa, too. But here the dynamic is different. With limited health care facilities and awareness, most women who have breast cancer are unaware of it and end up succumbing to the disease. Susan G. Komen for the Cure is working to change that. Known for their Walk for the Cure as well as other advocacy and research programs, their scope has gone global in recent years and is now reaching women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Women diagnosed with breast cancer in Tanzania and other African countries have to deal with severe stigma and the temptation to consult traditional healers, as their family or peers may advise. It’s a miracle that about one hundred survivors came out yesterday, donning the pink shirt[…]

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[…]

Extreme Hope

May 18, 2011

Living Hope Education Centre, a primary school in war and disaster-torn northeastern Uganda, is beating the odds. As much as I can, I am an advocate for this school, which is doing wonderful work in the lives of young ones.