“What happened to us should not happen to anyone.”

Photographer Susan Meiselas and reporter Dumeetha Luthra traveled to India for Human Rights Watch to retrace the steps of one woman who died after giving birth to a son.

Powerful and respectful work.

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Status of Africa is an interesting Facebook application from AMREF (African Medical Research Foundation) developed by BBH Labs London.

The idea is that you lend your Facebook status to one of seven different people living in Africa, giving them the opportunity to let more people know about their lives. Your status is automatically updated morning and afternoon for 5 days on the behalf of the person you choose (and of course you still have full control of your own posts), with the real stories of their daily life in Africa. As part of the sign-up process, you can also lend your Twitter account, and even your Facebook profile picture to your choice of person – from a Nairobi streetkid or a Nomadic tribe member to a Flying Doctor or Traditional Birth Attendant.

AMREF works with communities to tackle diseases such as malaria, TB, and HIV/AIDS looking for solutions that work in local and cultural contexts.

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If you are interested in the story of child mortality you need to understand the real figures behind the horror stories we see in the news. The amazing GAPMINDER website and this video is a cracking place to start.

Nearly 10 million children under five die every year. Almost 90% of all child deaths are attributable to just six conditions: neonatal causes, pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, measles, and HIV/AIDS.

The aim (Millenium Development Goal 4) is to cut child mortality by two thirds by 2015.
How can this be achieved?
Which countries make sufficient progress?
And by which rate did a country like Norway reduce its child mortality the last 100 years?

Watch Gapcast #11 to understand the background and the current status of a Millenium Development Goal.

httvp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWI_1QoQ9aM

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This is the harrowing story of Srey Neth, a young Cambodian victim of human trafficking forced into prostitution. It’s part of a larger project by the photographer Tim Matsui to document the issue. Take some time out to watch the short film and read Tim’s words below:

Cambodia: Srey Neth from timmatsui.com on Vimeo.

Srey Neth is a young Cambodian victim of human trafficking. In this story she speaks of her experience transitioning from victim to survivor. At 14 she was sold by her mother to a pimp for $300; a week later he sold her virginity for the same price then he forced her to serve 10-20 men per night afterwards. Her refusal was met with beatings or electrocution. Srey Neth was later rescued by police and a non governmental organization. During her recovery, which unsurprisingly has taken more than five years, she was diagnosed with HIV.

This is not just a story about the darkness in humanity. Srey Neth is a victim who has found her voice and become a survivor; I see her as a figurative Cambodia, her home country. It is culturally permissive of human trafficking after struggling through thirty years of genocide, occupation, and civil war. From a trauma and victimization standpoint, Cambodian society is still finding the voice it needs to end the exploitation.

Srey Neth has been given guidance and the opportunity to find her own path. She has learned forgiveness, found self worth, received an education, worked hard to succeed, and been given life through anti-retroviral drugs. Many in Cambodia do not have this option; Srey Neth knows this and hopes that her story of pain and healing can help. It is why she is now working in the same slum where she was sold, to help the younger children find their voice and avoid the victimization she faced. Her story is one of hope and an example for those working in the field of anti-human trafficking. Her story is also a parallel to my incomplete project on the transition Cambodia, the country, is making from victim to survivor.

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Of course anger going nowhere is a wasted emotion.  But on target and on mass it can have a powerful effect.  And it can come from something as basic as understanding in a little bit more depth the reasons why so many people on this planet suffer so much and so unnecessarily.

Here is a good example of a video that made me feel really angry. Now what do I do with that anger?  Well if Save The Children could accompany this video with a powerful info-graphic about malaria and how it can be stopped, alongside a meaningful way in which I can respond, then they will have turned my anger into action.  Times that by many = change.

(Thanks to Adam Robertson for sending me the link)

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This is powerful, important work with a great interface.

Spend a few minutes please listening to and looking at a few personal stories, it’s worth your while.

Gideon Mendel’s portraits are wonderful, as ever, but the real power comes from the work of the individuals. Here’s the blurb:

Through Positive Eyes is an attempt to address key themes of the AIDS epidemic: widespread stigma, extreme social inequality, and limited access to lifesaving medication. The project is based on the belief that challenging stigma against people living with HIV/AIDS is the most effective method for combating the epidemic—and that art is a powerful way to do this. Over the next two years HIV-positive people in six countries and on five continents will take part in this unique initiative, creating powerful personal photo essays. From these images, we will create local and international advocacy materials including exhibitions, short films, a book, and this website.

RAMON from Through Positive Eyes on Vimeo.

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At A Developing Story it goes without saying that we rarely feature stories from the developed world, but I couldn’t let this one pass.  The idea that people go hungry in the USA, as so powerfully demonstrated by Michael Nye, will be shocking to many.

Many years ago I traveled to Argentina to make a documentary about genetically modified crops.  At the time Argentina was the third biggest exporter of food and yet people in the north of the country were starving.  Whilst hunger maybe the preserve of the poor, poverty is not the preserve of developing countries.

The following text is taken from Michael Nye’s website:

In Michael Nye’s exhibition About Hunger & Resilience, so much comes to light. The fifty portraits and audio stories reveal the courage and fragility of those individuals who have experienced hunger. In simple, eloquent detail, these voices and images draw you closer into their lives.

For the past 4 ½ years, Michael has been listening and asking questions about hunger. Why does it happen? What can we learn from them?

Stories have a way of illuminating issues with an elemental and engaging power. These diverse audio narratives take us underneath complicated issues where empathy and understanding begin.

Each face, each voice invites you to listen.

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Save The Children had just sent us this powerful audio slideshow about the way in which a harsh winter is affecting people in regions of Mongolia. This is how they describe the situation on their website:

A ‘dzud’, the name Mongolian herders use to describe a fierce winter that usually only comes around once in a generation, has left families struggling to get by.

As many as 300,000 pastoralists who rely on livestock to make a living and to feed their children are seeing their livelihoods and health ravaged by -45°C temperatures and thick snow, which has resulted in the deaths of millions of livestock.

It’s a shame that we don’t get to hear first hand from the children or the parents the hardships that they are facing but this is still a good way of breaking a story.

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South Africa is awaiting the final whistle to open the gates to the stadium. Everyone’s been preparing for this big event including this group of Grannys keeping fit while playing football. Watch them play! (there’s a serious message in the video)

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Now it has branched out to major cities around the world to bring together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

The best talks and performances from TED and partners available to the world, for free online. More than 450 TEDTalks are now available, with more added each week.  These videos are released under a Creative Commons license, so they can be freely shared and reposted.

TED is a brilliant platform for these speakers to address large audiences with a range of subjects from international development through to photography and technology.

Below is a video I recently watched from Kristen Ashburn. In this moving talk, documentary photographer Kristen shares unforgettable images of the human impact of AIDS in Africa. Moving and poignant, but at the same time a truly magnificent way of engaging with people who view these seminars.

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