{"id":4355,"date":"2012-10-29T14:43:34","date_gmt":"2012-10-29T21:43:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stirringthefire.org\/blog\/?p=4355"},"modified":"2014-05-14T15:27:32","modified_gmt":"2014-05-14T22:27:32","slug":"to-see-with-your-own-eyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.philborges.com\/blog\/2012\/10\/29\/to-see-with-your-own-eyes\/","title":{"rendered":"To See With Your Own Eyes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our founder, Phil Borges, along with two\u00a0Volunteer Production Assistants<\/a>,\u00a0Rachel Gray<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Catherine Cussaguet<\/a>, just returned from Nepal where they worked with\u00a0Resurge International<\/a>. \u00a0The organization does incredible work to\u00a0provide free reconstructive surgeries for the poor and builds year-round medical access in underserved areas. \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em>Story by Rachel Gray<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Author Rachel working with Phil Borges in the field<\/p><\/div>\n

In my phone I have a picture of a young girl holding a sign that says \u201cNo one is free when others are oppressed.\u201d\u00a0 Photography is becoming my outlet for understanding and experiencing social issues.\u00a0 Truthfully, I have to experience something with my own eyes in order to really care about it. The news does not have this effect on me.\u00a0 The news fights for your attention and before you can breathe the cameras have been turned half way across the world, where another tragedy is being called upon.\u00a0 It\u2019s simply too much!\u00a0 How can one take action, let alone concentrate when there is too much stimulus? (Welcome to America).<\/p>\n

Traveling with Phil Borges and ReSurge International has changed my life.\u00a0 Helping make this documentary about burn victims in Nepal was an intimate and powerful experience.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The girl setting next to me barely has a face.\u00a0 Its been burned off completely and she\u2019s now lefts with scars and eyes that don\u2019t blink.\u00a0 Her lips are big and stretched from the contractures.\u00a0 She sits next to me writing (not real words) in my journal.\u00a0 Page after page and I sit quietly next to her writing on the other side of the journal.\u00a0 She\u2019s only five years old, she hasn\u2019t even begun to face the challenges that the future holds for her.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to think about.\u00a0 She\u2019s silent; I wouldn\u2019t know what to say either.\u00a0 As she sits with me writing her world, I wish for her to become a leader in the face of her tragedy. <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dr. Shankar of Resurge International<\/p><\/div>\n

Dr. Shankar is by far one of the most extraordinary people I have met in my life.\u00a0 He knows no limits, and has committed his life to helping his nations poorest people.\u00a0 When asked about why and how he got interested in burns, he replied:\u00a0 It\u2019s what was needed.\u00a0\u00a0 He encourages people go into the world and confront a social challenge. He uses every opportunity to make change and teach his students.\u00a0 Even after coming out of surgery, I would see him around the corner talking to nurses about \u2018stop, drop and roll\u2019.\u00a0 He is in the process of building a new hospital in Kathmandu, which he intends to make a teaching hospital.\u00a0 There will be a ward devoted entirely to burn victims.\u00a0 He is turning the cafeteria into a social business where he can hire his patients who are in need of a job.\u00a0 The hospital will run off of biofuel, and there will be an organic garden in the back.\u00a0 His efforts are endless, and it was truly an honor to document his work.<\/p>\n

I also had the pleasure of traveling with Sara Anderson, the chief advocacy and communications officer for ReSurge International.\u00a0 On several occasions we accompanied Dr. Shankar to hospitals outside of Kathmandu.\u00a0 We were in the doctor\u2019s office one evening when a young woman in her early twenties arrived for her consultation with Dr. Shankar.\u00a0 Sara was asking Dr. Shankar about her story, as Phil, Catherine (photography intern) and I were filming.\u00a0 Her story was awful, and she was badly burned.\u00a0 Unlike many of the people we met, the pain inflicted on her was intentional.\u00a0 Where was she supposed to go?\u00a0 How is she supposed to find work to support her children?\u00a0 Her family did this to her and now she is shunned by her community. I looked up at Sara.\u00a0 \u201cWelcome to our world,\u201d she said with a compassionate demeanor.\u00a0 This is challenge that ReSurge faces.\u00a0 Surgeries only address a portion of the problem.\u00a0 Preventative care and social outreach are what the future holds for this organization.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Sara Anderson of Resurge (left) with Production Assistant Catherine Cussaguet<\/p><\/div>\n

Sara, like Phil and Dr. Shankar, gives herself completely to her work.\u00a0 She is truly a leader who is fighting (as she\u2019s smiling) to make great changes.\u00a0 \u201cThis is a problem we can solve.\u201d\u00a0 I think that\u2019s where Sara finds her greatest joy.\u00a0 This health crisis is so preventable and the positive change we can make is astounding, if we can rally enough support. She is truly an activist and a champion for the cause.<\/p>\n

Phil Borges is a photographer whose work and integrity I continuously admire.\u00a0\u00a0 Going on this trip with him has opened up a new realm of possibilities for me as a social photographer.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t replace technique for the story.\u00a0 The story is the most important part.\u201d\u00a0 Although I learned a great deal about audio, capturing stills and video, the power was always in the story.\u00a0 When the woman in front of the lens would forget about the camera and lose herself in emotion; that is storytelling. Phil taught me that it\u2019s really about making a connection and honoring a person\u2019s struggles and successes.\u00a0 What I appreciate about Phil more than anything is his kindness towards people.\u00a0 In Kathmandu I remember one man walked by asking us for money.\u00a0 One of us gave him a couple rupees.\u00a0 The man turns to Phil who extends his arm out, placing it next to his.\u00a0 He rolls up his sleeve, two contrasting human colors. \u2018Our arms are the same size\u2019 he exclaims and smiles up at the guy.\u00a0 He smiles back.\u00a0 Now you tell me what\u2019s better?\u00a0 Throwing money at someone, or honoring a human life? Phil is an extraordinary teacher.\u00a0 I learned more from him than I did in my entire college career (where I studied photography).\u00a0 Emerging social photographers like myself have a lot to learn from Phil Borges.\u00a0 He uses every opportunity to teach his students, spends time with his subjects, and gets amazing footage.<\/p>\n

\u201cFew are those who see with their own eyes, and feel with their own hearts\u201d (Albert Einstein).\u00a0 I encourage and strongly recommend this program to college students or recent graduates.\u00a0 If you are an artist or a journalist and you want to make social change, interning with Phil will give you direction.\u00a0 He has devoted his life to this work for the past twenty years, and will teach you everything he knows (if you are up for the challenge!).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our founder, Phil Borges, along with two\u00a0Volunteer Production Assistants,\u00a0Rachel Gray\u00a0and\u00a0Catherine Cussaguet, just returned from Nepal where they worked with\u00a0Resurge International. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[133,48,22],"tags":[158,471,159,160],"class_list":["post-4355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-social-documentary-training","category-production-notes","category-stirring-the-fire","tag-nepal","tag-rachel-gray","tag-resurge-international","tag-volunteer-production-assistant"],"yoast_head":"\nTo See With Your Own Eyes - Phil Borges<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.philborges.com\/blog\/2012\/10\/29\/to-see-with-your-own-eyes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"To See With Your Own Eyes - 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