Oliver's trees are popping in places dear to my heart: at Iolanthe Alpaca Ranch in Sequim, WA, at Shepherds Schools in Arusha, Tanzania, and in Ivory Coast where this photo was taken. all places I have volunteered at or that our family has been supporting. next on our list: Nepal and Haiti.
yesterday was sad and emotional and hard. thinking that on this day last year I turned 37 and had three living sons to celebrate with. so seeing this photo of students at Kopila Valley School holding prints of a photo collaboration project I've been working on for the past 6 months, it lit up my soul like a Christmas tree.
thank you BlinkNow and Kopila Valley family. my life is immensely richer, and sweeter because of you.
learn more about our collaboration here.
3 months later all I wanted to do was curl up in bed and cry. but instead I spent the day on a beach in Normandy with 5000+ kids, taking photos for non-profit organization Secours Populaire Français.
I hope you see me, I hope you're proud of me.
more photos here.
remember when you shared what you were most thankful for and helped me raise funds to buy science lab apparatus for Shepherds Junior Secondary School in Tanzania?
look what you made possible.
thank you, thank you, thank you.
photos by Shepherds Junior Secondary School.
to all who have helped me reach my pledged goal and raise funds to buy science lab apparatus for Shepherds Junior Secondary School. once again, I am humbled, inspired and in awe of the way you rallied around this project, of your ongoing support, of what you all helped achieve.
thank you, thank you, thank you.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
note: you can still donate and help Epic Thanks raise at least $10.000 to invest in Leah's school. if we reach that goal, an anonymous donor has pledged to make an additional $5.000 contribution!
each Thanksgiving for the past few years, in honor of all we have to be thankful for, some friends and I have been making small investments in projects that aim to transform our world. this year, I've decided to raise $1.000 to buy science lab apparatus and provide students at Shepherds Junior Secondary School in Tanzania with access to hands-on science education.
because I'm most thankful for the people in my life who are always certain of my own strength, who challenge me to be better every day, who give me opportunities to create the life I want for myself, who see what I am doing, and have faith in my ability to learn my lessons, overcome adversity and make a difference in the world. and I know. I wouldn't be where I am today, and I might have stopped a hundred times, if it weren't for each and everyone of them believing in me.
and I believe in those kids.
I hope you'll join me and help make it happen. all you have to do is share what you're most thankful for and visit Epic Thanks 2012 to make a gift in any amount.
so tell me, what are you thankful for?
they made my heart double in size, my perspective on life expand and grow, feel immensely loved, laugh louder than I've ever had, ask questions that challenged my understanding and relentlessly seek out the answers, jump up and sing, realize how much I thought I knew and how little I actually know, and sincerely want to be a better person.
I still can't quite explain it. what Tanzania means to me now. all I am certain of is that things will never be the same.
I will never be the same.
more photos here.
in the fall of 2011, I started a small workgroup with ten fourth graders from Sean and Will's school to help them engage with the world in new ways and realize that they can make a difference. the kids grew passionately concerned about the global water crisis and soon partnered with Sarswati Peace School in Arupokhari, Nepal, selling handmade greeting cards, organizing a tombola and giving up birthday gifts to raise funds and help provide the students and local community with safe drinking water.
a few weeks later, I developed an idea for a photo collaboration with the students from Sarswati Peace School where children in France and Nepal would capture and share images from their daily lives following six simple prompts: what I eat, animals, my school, where I sleep, where I shop and where I live.
at first, it seemed fairly easy. but it turned out to be much harder than I had expected. and I spent many days sitting on my living-room floor sorting through hundreds of photos wishing I had done things differently. but then I would look at the kids and remember their boundless enthusiasm as they all leaped at the chance to do something for others. and that helped me keep going. the project was sponsored by French non-profit organization Secours Populaire Français and eventually raised more than $6.500, bringing clean water to the 200 students of Sarswati Peace School and to the local community of 300+ people.
the photos were recently on exhibit at École Élémentaire Paris in Boulogne, France.
you can see them here.
if you're traveling to a foreign country, learn a few basic words and sentences before you leave (hopefully, there's an app for that).
always educate yourself about the country's history and culture.
invest in good walking shoes.
when in the field, introduce yourself first. forget the camera. connect with people. listen to what they have to say.
put names to faces. write them down if you need to.
recognize your own cultural biases and assumptions. let go of all preconceived ideas.
focus on the story.
be willing and able to push yourself beyond your everyday comfort zone. you'll discover what you're capable of, what you're passionate about and who you truly are.
when in doubt, take in all the information you can gather. and then go with what your heart feels most strongly.
be open. be curious. be kind.
The National Press Photographers Association: Code of Ethics
last month I traveled to Haiti with French non-profit organization Secours Populaire Français to document the re-opening of two primary schools in Les Palmes and Delatte and visit two local health facilities that were devastated by the 2010 earthquake.
and though I've had to learn how to navigate daily life without electricity or running water. though I worried my immune system would eventually fail me. though I wish my camera better served and empowered those in front of the lens. and I felt frustrated at times by the arrogance and deficiencies of international aid agencies. I've never been more grateful, inspired, nor had more conviction about what I was doing.
more photos here.
Jun 9, 2015