I am because we are
“I am because we are” is a film documenting the situation of more than a million orphans from parents who died of HIV/AIDS in Malawi, Africa. The movie shows the journey of Madona at Malawi and depicts interviews with a number of well known experts and influencers on the current situation in Africa. The movie can be seen in full at HULU [see also the embedded video at the end of the post].
from “I am because we are” by Kristen Ashburn
A companion book by photographer Kristen Ashburn has been published by powerHouse and the images are currently in display at the powerHouse gallery in New York city. Kristen became a photojournalist after quitting her job assisting the production of fashion photographers in New York city, a decision that was driven by her sensitivity to the daily news describing the distressing situation in Africa. Since then she has been documenting a number of humanitarian causes, perhaps become better known by the audience after publishing the multimedia work “Bloodline: AIDS and family“. A review of “I am because we are” was published at The Digital Journalist where you can see several images at the gallery.
Kristen is also a director of the non-profit “Through the eyes of children“. You can purchase beautiful pictures taken by the children in Rwanda and contribute to this engaging program so the kids can expand their sense of identity by sharing their views and life with the world.
The goal of this project is to share with the world the perspective of the children, to provide an opportunity to reflect on the tragedy of the genocide by observing life today through the eyes of the children of Rwanda. Additionally, the project aims to demonstrate to the children of the Imbabazi Orphanage that they have something to share with the world that is meaningful. Through the sale of their photographs, the children receive that message, as well as the means to continue their photography and their education. [source]
