In Their Eyes

I'm going to Haiti to teach street children photojournalism in Zanmi Lakay's first annual Jouk Li Jou Kan Foto - a summer Photo Camp to give youth a voice to represent their country to the world. 

Jouk Li Jou is a Haitian saying that roughly translates to: we'll never stop until the day is over, working hard to see a better life, and we'll keep fighting to the end. These students, their families and communities are all about Jouk Li Jou no matter what happens in Haiti, and this project will reflect their resilience, dignity, and enduring spirit.

Zanmi Lakay is a nonprofit organization supporting street children, and they are recruiting professional photojournalists to train, and mentor youth ages 10-19 in this unprecedented teaching and exhibit event. After the earthquake, many foreign journalists told Haiti's story from an outsider's point of view, and as educators we believe it is important to pass on the skills needed for Haitians to be their own visual ambassadors.

All the photos you see here were taken by Zanmi Lakay students.

The Project

During the two-week Photo Camp, I'll be one of 4 volunteer team leaders working with 12 young boys and girls from the slums of Cit Soleil and the streets of the southern town of Jacmel. We're partnering with the community to photograph daily life, progress of humanitarian organizations, reforestation initiatives, school and neighborhood rebuilding, medical personnel, orphanages, and group homes for children. I'll mentor students to improve their photographic skills, teach them how to edit and process images on a computer, work with them to print their favorite images, and then participate with the entire group to hang their work in a local gallery for everyone to see. 

The Jouk Li Jou Kan Foto will foster the childrens photographic talents not only boosting self-esteem and teaching practical technical skills for the future, but will also inspire self-reflection and life changes empowering the young students to improve their lives. Many of these kids have never traveled out of their neighborhoods. The meeting up of students from different communities will foster both their art and socialization skills, and give the town of Jacmel a reason to celebrate something special. 

What You're Funding

Just getting to Haiti is a challenge of its own. Since the earthquake, basic services are limited and air travel is very expensive. In addition to my own expenses, I'll be supporting some of the kids directly and providing additional support to program activities.

$1800 travel expenses

$600 sponsorship of 3 children from Cit Soleil to participate in the photo camp to pay for their lodging and food

$200 to pay for hard drives for student images

$100 to pay for batteries for the digital cameras used by the students

$400 to pay for food, drinks, and gallery rental for the opening night reception of the children's work in an exhibition at Fosaj in Jacmel, Haiti, that will include all the children and their family and friends, all of the photo subjects, and the local community.

What If?

International travel, especially to Haiti, has hazards. If something unforeseen comes up and I can't make the trip, all funds will go to Zanmi Lakay to help further their efforts.

About Me

In 20 years of photojournalism, I've covered everything from the Rodney King Riots to Barack Obama's election campaign. I currently live in Charleston, SC and work for the Charleston City Paper, where I am the Web Editor.

You can see my photos at joshuacurry.com.