Social Documentary Photography and Film
Posted in Stirring The Fire, Take Action on Jan 24th, 2012
I managed to finagle my way onto the walk up the Volcano de Agua. We set out at 4:00am to catch the buses from Antigua to the town of Santa Maria where the hike began – at 5:30 we started the hike up the volcano. The altitude, terrain and number of participants made for a [...]
Posted in Stirring The Fire, Take Action on Jan 20th, 2012
Currently I’m in Antigua, Guatemala to finish production on this film about Population Council Guatemala for the UN Trust Fund to End VAW. It just so happens that tomorrow, Jan 21st, a huge event will be taking place right outside of Antigua on the Volcano de Agua which has an elevation of 12,336 feet. 8000 Guatemalans [...]
Posted in Stirring The Fire, Take Action on Dec 13th, 2011
I was just in Antigua, Guatemala in November documenting an innovative program teaching young Mayan girls about their rights and opportunities. The program called Abriendo Oportunidades teaches the girls how to use video cameras and interviews to become aware of social norms in their culture—some of which, like violence against women, are dysfunctional. I am [...]
Posted in Stirring The Fire on Apr 7th, 2011
Most of my human rights work in the developing world has been focused on creating media (exhibits, books, and multimedia) for audiences in developing countries. Typically I would create media for NGOs that would put it to use for building awareness and fund raising campaigns in North America and Europe. At the same time I [...]
Posted in Stirring The Fire on Apr 28th, 2010
“Women make change, but not in circumstances of their own choosing. They have to negotiate. They have to subvert tradition that once silenced them in order to give voice to new aspirations. . . We can use our tradition to navigate change.” Ted Talk by Kavita N. Ramdas, president and CEO of the Global Fund [...]
Posted in Production Notes, Stirring The Fire, Take Action on Mar 31st, 2010
Sometimes it is necessary to create your own opportunities for involvement in the issues that you are passionate about. Nonprofit organizations are looking for ways to get qualified intern and volunteer help. My last blog highlighted two students (Alisun Chopel and Suzy Messer) who worked toward their masters degrees while following their passion to do [...]
Posted in Stirring The Fire on Mar 24th, 2010
When One HEART decided to begin its program to address maternal mortality with the indigenous Tarahumara in Northern Mexico they contracted with Alisun Chopel to do a feasibility study for the program. Alisun was a student working on her Masters Degree in Public Health at UC Berkeley. She applied for an internship with One HEART [...]
Posted in Stirring The Fire on Mar 11th, 2010
For cross-cultural global health programs it’s critical to ensure that there is compatibility between the values of the program and the recipient culture. Since most Tarahumara women live several hours or days away from the nearest clinic or hospital they suffer one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in North America. Of course it [...]
Posted in Stirring The Fire on Feb 24th, 2010
I recently returned from the Copper Canyon located in the Sierra Tarahumara in Northern Mexico where I was documenting the work of the non-profit organization One HEART as they address the high rate of infant and maternal mortality among the indigenous Tarahumara. There are about 70,000 Tarahumara Indians—or Rarámuri—scattered throughout the Sierra living in natural shelters such as [...]
Posted in Stirring The Fire on Jan 7th, 2010
Hadia, age 11 Out-of-School Girls Program, Kabul, Afghanistan By 2000, UNICEF reported that only 4 to 5% of Afghan children were being educated at the primary school level. Fewer still had access to secondary and university-level education. According to the World Bank, “Since 2002, more than 6 million students and teachers have returned to school.” The [...]