Established in 2008, the Freedom to Create Prize is a celebration of the courage and creativity of artists around the world who use their talents to promote social justice, build the foundations for open societies and inspire the human spirit. It is open to artists in all creative fields. Each year, US$125,000 in prize money is awarded across three categories: Main, Youth and Imprisoned Artist.

Freedom to Create (www.freedomtocreate.com) is a global movement of creative people who are changing the world.

To apply for the prize, click here, or visit the Freedom to Create website for more information. The application process is open until August 15, 2010.

You can lie to the sun, but you cannot lie to the rain.

-Haitian saying

Place du Marron Inconu, says a lot about Haiti today.  This powerful monument to the end of slavery is surrounded by tents and shacks, and stands in front of the crumbled White House, The Haitian Central Government’s offices. The living conditions are dismal, with rains coming almost daily, meaning that people to stand all night because of the water in their homes. There is no place to go; and those with concrete floors are considered lucky.  Blue tarps are everywhere, and protect people from the heat of the sun, but when it rains water is everywhere. This is hard to see, and the stories are difficult to process; it is hard to rationally juxtapose a thriving social square with the masses of humanity now living there.

The Place de Marron Camp mainly consists of people who lived in nearby neighborhoods, and  are now living in tents and squalor. The number has continued to grow, indicating that indigents from other slums in the city are coming here as well for food and water. Not everyone lived in homes before the quake; making it difficult to discern the chronically homeless from the recently displaced.

The water situation is a perfect case study for the complexity of delivering  continuing aid: The government decided to stop the free water delivery since  it was impacting the market for the private water delivery services (here the government has not assumed the responsibility of providing water to the people).  Now many people are continuing without work and are not able to pay for the water. Mercy Corps has established a program of water vouchers for people, trade-able at local private vendors, which is a good solution. But there are so many displaced persons–the number is now estimated at 1.5m–that every problem is magnified, and every solution dwarfed. The contrast between macroeconomic solutions and basic daily human need  is complex and immediate.

At Place de Marron Camp there is a strong sense of both supportive camaraderie and angry desperation. Preparation for the Monday protest again President Preval was ongoing, with angry demands for work, food, solutions.  The leadership and response vacuum from the central government continues, and despair and anger are mounting.

Phnymean Noun,Exec Director PIO with Dr.Robert P Renner

All is not lost when people such as these give their time and resources so readily to help children that are most at need. Two agencies. and individuals, that fit together admirably to try to meet some of the needs of children of less than fortunate circumstance are People Improvement Organization (PIO) and Kids International Dental Services.(KIDS)

A Dental Volunteer with (KIDS)

Dr.Bob (Dr. Robert P. Renner),is a retired Prosthodontist, a professor Emeritus at The University of New York at Stony Brook and he leads a team of volunteer dental professionals and people from all walks of life that want to assist in providing the services. It certainly an international team and during my short visit as a witness to their work I met members from Japan, the USA and the Netherlands.

Dr Renner explains the reasons for the existence of his team are to ”provide pro-bono dental care to impoverished children in developing countries. There are children in the world who will never have dental care that we take for granted unless we provide it. Most of these children have never seen a tooth brush”. We have treated the children at (PIO) over the last few years and will continue to do so as long as our services are required. We have recently started visits to the Philipines also. This is dentistry at it most basic, conducted in ”Mash” like circustances with very few home comforts but the kids get the treatment they so badly need and the young professional on the team benefit also by gaining experience and confidence.

” We provide dental care to children in orphanages where they come after being abandoned by parents, family members. They are forgotten children of sex slavery, dead parents of AIDS, gang violence, street accidents. We have seen and treated over 1000 children during our stay in Cambodia”.

Volunteers on the KIDS team

The People Improvement Agency (PIO) set up by Phymean Noun, to help educate children on the dump site at Stung Meanchey,Phnom Penh, in Cambodia is just one of the places that gives us a platform to do our work, the children attending the PIO school and the Orphanage it runs close by get dental treatment and free toothbrush.

” Most days we treat between 100 to 200 children. On the bright side, the cost of providing basic care to these children is less than $3 per child for treatment that would cost over $30 per child if performed at the health unit. So far we are personally committed to providing regular care to these children. We try to encourage young local dentists to partner with us and understand our American spirit of volunteerism. For a dental program in a developing country to be successful one must partner with a local agency and involve the local dentists/government”.

” Educating the children themselves and helping them learn the importance of daily dental care will in the long term reduce the number of dental problems in the future and will hopefully be passed on to the next generation”.

Kids waiting patiently to see the Dentist

” Obviously our services cost money and we are always grateful for donations and support. Anyone able or wishing to donate something, no matter how small can do so here (DONATIONS) or if you would like to offer your service as a volunteer why not visit out site at KIDS ”.

Little girl talks to the Dentist

I asked her everything that came rushing into my head. What is your editing process like? And how do you think photography creates social change? And what advice do you have for people submitting photo essays to PhotoPhilanthropy?

Here’s what she said:

Some of the essays I looked at from last year’s submissions were not as strong as they could be because they don’t really have a focus. What I’m seeing is that people are photographing things that are happening around them, but I don’t know what the story is. I don’t know what they’re trying to say.

If you were going to document a pediatric surgical team, for example, it would be really great to have some theme that you follow—maybe a doctor, or a patient—so that you connect with somebody.

I think it’s really important to establish that connection with another individual. Because if you don’t, if the viewer doesn’t get to connect with any person in a deeper way, then everybody becomes sort of anonymous. And that’s a problem. I think you get a much more emotional reaction when you really feel like you got to know someone and their story. And then that one story illustrates the larger organization and the larger issue.

When I was working with Deanne Fitzmaurice on the Pulitzer prize winning story, she got very close to the subject.

It was as story about an Iraqi boy named Saleh, who picked up a bomb he thought was ball. It exploded, killing his brother and severely injuring him. He was eventually brought to Oakland, California for treatment. She worked on that story for about a year and got close to the family. It was impossible not to.

And even though she didn’t want to, she had to show the moments where he was acting up or getting frustrated because that was the whole story. She had to stay somewhat detached. Because the goal of photojournalism is to have the credibility that you are telling the truth.

An artist, on the other hand, is seeking their own truth, in my opinion.

So when you are doing this kind of collaborative work with an organization, you really have to believe in what that organization is doing. If you go in there and you think, “Wow, what are they doing?” then maybe you shouldn’t do it.

It’s also important to really do your homework. You should talk to people who run the organization, who are in the field, and ask them what they see every day. And sometimes you have to be a filter, because they may tell you what they think is a great story, and it may not be. For example, it may not be visual. It has to be a visual story. And it has to prompt an emotional reaction that connects the viewer to the subject

The best thing to do is observe. Spend some time before you ever pick up the camera, observing what they do. You need to think about what it is that attracted you to the story. What is the story that you want to tell?

And take notes. I always say to photographers—who are not necessarily writers—take notes. Jot down words that represent what you are feeling, and then think about how to capture that feeling.

You asked about creating social change as an editor. Well, we were having a staff meeting, and talking about ideas. I wanted to do some stories related to the economy, because that is one of the big issues of the year.

So Brant Ward, one of our staff photographers at the Chronicle, said, “I really want to do something in Chinatown. It’s very difficult to get access to stories there, and there is a lot going on.”

He’s been at the Chronicle for 25 years. He found his own contact and she connected him with the Mo family, who live in a one room flat.  The room has no private bathroom or kitchen so they share with the other families living in the building, which is called an SRO: single room occupancy.

He worked through a community activist who spoke the language and was trusted by the community. I think that’s a very important connection, so that when you are introduced to the community, you are also trusted.

The father, Zhihua, a carpenter and plumber, was out of work. The mom, Lifen, was making minimum wage handing out restaurant coupons to tourists. The grandfather, who lived a block away in another SRO, had a nurse taking care of him but when Zhihua lost his job they could no longer afford the nurse and Zhihua starting taken care of his dad daily.

The grandfather couldn’t walk, and his son told Brant, “When I take him to the doctor, I have to put him on my back and carry him up two flights of stairs.” And so Brant knew that was the picture he needed to get. And so he kept waiting and waiting for that day to come, and it finally did.

When the story was published, it was on the front page with two inside pages full of photographs. There was a real out-pouring of support. Brant received many emails from people who wanted to help, both monetarily and with job offers. Zihua is now working again.

So you hope that you have an impact, and it can be something small like one person getting a job. Or it could be a larger impact, like with Deanne’s story. After her story was published, Saleh’s family received thousands and thousands of dollars in donations and his mother and sisters were granted asylum in the U.S.

And that’s the beauty of documentary photography: hopefully your goal is to have some sort of impact.

Brant told the story of Chinatown through one family. Which gets back to what I was saying in the beginning. You’re more connected through one family than if it was a series of pictures of multiple families who lived in single rooms. I feel more connected to that issue because I know what this one family’s life is like.

If you stay with one story, if you stay with one focus, there’s more intimacy there. And to me that is the key to a successful story or a successful photo essay, intimacy.

And a lot of times you may see a collection of photographs, and they may be beautiful, but I’m left wondering what are they trying to say. Other than, here’s a nonprofit, or here’s a lot of suffering people.

I loved Dmitry Markov’s story, which won the amateur award, because it was so focused. One group of kids, one place—I really got a sense of what their lives were like. Beautiful intimacy with the shaving of the head, wonderful use of light. I felt a sense of connection with the community there because I could see how the boys reacted to each other. I thought that was really successful.

Eliza Gregory writes a weekly blog for PhotoPhilanthropy.

Fortunately, Collective Lens allows us to leverage the emotional impact of our photos to inspire others to get involved with organizations that assist people in situations similar to those of our subjects. It’s rare, though, that a photographer is able to use an image to directly impact the individual life of the person it depicts.

That’s why I was so inspired when I heard what photographer Thomas Holton did to help when the subjects of his long term documentary photography piece “The Lams of Ludlow Street” narrowly escaped disaster.

Below is an email he wrote originally published on Andrew Hetherington’s “What’s the Jackaonry” photography blog:

As you may or may not know, I photographed a Chinese family from 2002-2005 for a project called ‘The Lams of Ludlow Street’. Beyond the remarkable publicity the work has gotten the past year or so, the Lams mean so much more tome than any professional accomplishments. I learned a lot about myself both personally and creatively and see the Lams as family. On Tuesday, June 14th, there was an electrical fire in the walls and the stairwell and the roof of their building on Ludlow Street caught on fire. The family made it out of the building via the fire escape and are now safe and sound, if not a little shaken up. The fire was caught early but their apartment, the 5th floor and the roof took a lot of structural,water and smoke damage. The space is not completely destroyed but the building is currently closed for inspection and the Lams are in a Red Cross secured apartment on West 129th street. The next step is between the landlord and the NYC Building Inspectors as they assess the building to see if its needs to be completely rebuilt or if only the5th floor apartments and roof should be repaired. This is not a new building and this will probably takes years judging by how long these things seem to take. In the meantime, The Lams have this Red Cross space for only six months before they need to find a new home for themselves.

Regardless of what happens with the Ludlow Street building, the likelihood that they will ever live there again is pretty small since they will need a new home soon and perhaps permanently. I am contacting you today to let you know that I will be selling a limited ‘benefit’ edition print of the project with all the proceeds going to the Lams as they rebuild their lives. The print will be a color 11×14 C-Print for $175 for one with discount rates increasing as the number of prints bought increases. Please contact me directly at thomas@thomasholton.com or call to buy some prints the help the Lams.

Think about picking up a print from Thomas to help out the Lams if you can spare the cash. I know it’s inspired me to be more aware of ways I can use my images to give back to the people they depict. I hope it does the same for you.

.ash

Black Theory

José Cendon/IFRC

Severely malnourished child at Damota Pulassa health centre in Wolayita, Ethiopia.
Six month ago it was assisting 10 to 15 children a week, now the number is up to 162 children every week.

Joseph Ryan

Anyone is welcome to join our group on Flickr and submit photos. Don’t forget to submit your photos directly to Collective Lens, too, though.

Fighting in North Kivu is threatening the lives of children. Tens of thousands of children have been displaced in the last weeks, in the confusion of flight children have been separated from their parents. Already malnourished children are now even more vulnerable. In the crowded makeshift camps measles and cholera are growing dangers. Thousands of children are unable to start the school year. Armed groups are using at least a 1000 children and more are being recruited.
UNICEF, through a network of partners, is assisting 60,000 people around Muganga and Minova in the Kivus. UNICEF is identifying separated children and reunifying them with their families. Rape survivors are being given medical and psychosocial support. Clean water distribution and latrines have been set up. Displaced families have received temporary shelter materials, bedding and cooking sets. All children under the age of 14 are being vaccinated against measles and pregnant women against neo natal tetanus. 2000 children have been screened for malnutrition. Emergency education programmes have started.

UNICEF’s partners are AVSI, Caritas, the International Rescue Committee, Heal Africa, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Save the Children UK, Solidarités, World Vision International and the provincial health service of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

UNICEF has assisted 350,000 displaced persons since the start of fighting in Sake last November. UNICEF’s actions are part of a coordinated response with other UN organizations; Office Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations High Commission for Refugees, World Food Programme, World Health Organisation & The Mission of the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Despite all this the majority of displaced persons remain inaccessible due to the fighting. UNICEF calls upon all parties to the conflict to; protect the rights of children, end the recruitment of children and ensure humanitarian access to all displaced persons.

“As we drove we saw trucks carrying troops and munitions heading towards the hills and coming the other way families fleeing with their few possessions.” -Julien Harneis

“Because of war swathes of Fizi territory, South Kivu, were abandoned between 1998 and 2006. During that time houses and schools were burnt, the adobe bricks melting back into the earth from which they came.

With AVSI and the community UNICEF is rehabilitating or rebuilding 7 schools in the south east of the territory. We monitored 2 school construction sites in Kilembwe. On the site the builders were digging out the rich red earth, wetting it, moulding it and baking it, to make the bricks of the new school. I watched in fascination as the raw materials of a school were coaxed out of the earth.” -Julien Harneis

“As we were leaving Minembwe the entire school from a neighbouring village some 15km arrived to pick up cement. WarChild Canada is supporting a community school rehabilitation and the children were part of the community participation.” -Julien Harneis

For more information, see ReliefWeb.org and Julien Harneis’ photos on Flickr.

As a child, Leroy’s mother was “a serious amateur photographer” who was always taking pictures, and quite good ones according to Leroy. He learned about photography from her at their rural home in Wisconsin. She encouraged and taught him, but insisted that his first camera be one that he earned himself. So, at age 9 he tried to sell greeting cards to make enough money. However, in the end, because of his shyness, his mother did most of the work to sell the cards. Finally, he purchased an Amsco camera with the money.

In the summer of 1967 Leroy was drafted into the Army and sent to Vietnam. He had more money than he needed and ended up spending a good bit of it on 35mm cameras purchased at the commissary. After his tour, however, he ran into some trouble, and spent time in prison. Then, in 1989, he headed to Milwaukee to look for a better life. He had difficulty holding down a steady job due to his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and eventually became homeless. He spent several months living on the streets before he could put his life in order, ultimately drawing benefits from the VA.

Homeless man sleeping with his bible

It is this set of events and unique experiences as a homeless man that gave Leroy his unique insight into the lives of the homeless. His photography not only shows us his skill as a photographer, but also portrays the unique bond that Leroy develops with his subjects. There is one neighborhood in downtown Milwaukee that is commonly frequented by homeless individuals. It is here that Leroy makes friends with many of those portrayed in his photographs. He often invites them into a nearby coffee shop for a meal and conversation. They open up to Leroy as if this is their chance to tell their story. The discussion often turns to life and the future, and then photography. Leroy said that most of the individuals are more than willing to have their photo taken. These photo sessions became an extension of their conversation until Leroy finally asks his subjects to simply unload their feelings down into his lens. Leroy explained to me, “When two homeless people pass each other on the street, they may share a look, and in that moment, without speaking, they have knowledge of each others’ lives.”

In 1992, Leroy took a photograph of a young homeless couple. The next year it won a Kodak photo contest in Parade magazine, and Leroy knew that he was on to a good thing. He mentioned that some people felt that he may be taking advantage of his subjects, but he feels he is doing them justice. He always asks for permission to take a photo, and believes that it would be wrong to take a candid photo of someone in such a particular situation. At one point he took a photo of a man asleep with a bible, but later felt guilty about it. He eventually found the man at a meal site that he often volunteers with and asked the man for his permission to keep the photo. The man agreed, “but if he didn’t, I would have just tossed it,” said Leroy.

Homeless Mike

As a regular volunteer at several homeless meal sites and shelters, Leroy often sees some of the regulars and has become friends with them. Mike is one of the homeless men that he has been able to photograph on a regular basis. In the 1990s, Mike was a successful construction contractor in Canada with a six-figure salary. His life took a downward turn and he turned to alcohol, and eventually became homeless, ending up in Milwaukee. Mike was also a very talented charcoal artist, and during their photo sessions Leroy said, “Mike was working me for a good photo, instead of the other way around.” Mike’s life has improved lately. He is in an alcohol rehabilitation program, and has recently been placed into an apartment as part of a HUD housing program. In 2007, one of Leroy’s photos of Mike won the People’s Choice award in the Smithsonian Magazine’s annual photo contest.

I finally asked Leroy what an individual person could do to help. He said that finding a shelter or meal site in your local area is an easy way to get involved. As a volunteer himself, Leroy wanted to emphasize that it is important to not get burned out. Many young volunteers commit to spending two or three times per week with various organizations. In reality, a few times per month is more practical and sustainable. There is a need for long term volunteers, but often volunteers lose interest after a few months.

In Milwaukee, Leroy spends a good deal of his time at Repairers of the Breach and St. Benedict’s, two organizations that provide shelter, meals, and other benefits to the homeless. It is these two organizations that helped Leroy during his difficult times on the streets. For more information on homeless shelters in your area, Leroy recommends the National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington, D.C. as a starting point.