My Photo scholarship 2010 entry
Worldwide | Thursday, October 14, 2010 | 5 photos
What surprised me most during my time as a UN aid worker in Kala Refugee Camp in Zambia was the resilience and strength of the children there. So, I have chosen to tell you the story of the refugee camp through the eyes of some of these children.
The refugee camp was started in 2000 to house the exodus of the tens of thousands of Congolese people who were fleeing from the brutal war ravaging their country. Children as young as 4 or 5 found themselves entering the refugee camp as orphans, and they quickly learned to take care of each other and to take care of themselves.
Kids made up the majority of the camp's population, outnumbering that adults almost 5 to 1. They would run around the camp unsupervised, fetching water, playing games, taking care of their siblings, and trying to find ways to entertain themselves. They were very curious about me and would follow me around. They were especially interested in my camera and would ask me to take pictures of them so that they could see what they looked like in the LCD screen. Many of them had never seen themselves before, since mirrors were scarce in the camp, and would howl and scream and laugh when they saw themselves. When I got back to the USA I made hard copies of all of the pictures and sent them to the camp so that the kids could have pictures of themselves. I got over 50 letters back from children thanking me for giving them their own picture.
I am tired of seeing pictures of the quintessential "sad African child" with flies in his eyes, so instead, I decided to capture the glowing positivity, the brightness and the beauty of these children, while at the same time showing the reality of their circumstances. What I hope is that my pictures show these children not as a symbol of sadness, but as a symbol of hope.
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