A selection of images from a recent assignment to the border of Sudan and South Sudan for GOAL Global, an Irish aid agency, who are providing frontline assistance to people fleeing the conflict in Sudan.
The conflict in Sudan between the Sudanese Army and the para-military Rapid Support Force broke out on 15 April 2023 and has caused over 819,402 Sudanese refugees and South Sudan returnees to flee to South Sudan. As of October 2024, the IOM UN Migration reports that Renk County in Upper Nile State, South Sudan has received over 676,394 Sudanese refugees and South Sudanese returnees through the Joda-Wunthou border crossing.
GOAL South Sudan is running malnutrition clinics in the two Transit Centres in the town of Renk as well as assisting people as they cross the border at a Reception Centre where they are supplied with high energy biscuits and children are screened for malnutrition. GOAL also provides supplementary feeding items, immunisation clinics and assistance to people sheltering in informal settlements and the local community.
Families carry their only possessions after crossing the Joda-Wunthou border between Sudan and South Sudan, about 60km north of the town of Renk in Upper Nile State, South Sudan, on Wednesday, November 13, 2024.Families who fled the conflict in Sudan prepare to board a truck to take them from the Joda-Wunthou border between Sudan and South Sudan to a Transit Centre about 60km away in the town of RenkStaff at the GOAL South Sudan Reception Centre provides high energy biscuits to a family just after crossing the border.High energy biscuits and emergency food is provided to new arrivals at the GOAL Reception Centre on the Sudan-South Sudan border north of the town of Renk.A GOAL South Sudan Nutrition Assistant performs a MUAC (Mid-Upper Arm Circumference) test on a child to assess acute malnutrition inside the GOAL Reception Centre just after crossing the Sudan-South Sudan border. Reports say almost one in five children screened at the border are found to be malnourished.A family crossing the Joda-Wunthou border between Sudan and South Sudan. As of 26th October 2024, more than 676,394 individuals have fled into South Sudan through the Wunthow (Joda) point of entry located in Renk. (IOM)Families prepare to board a truck to take them from the border to a Transit Centre in the town of Renk. On average, over a 1,000 people are crossing the border every day.A mother and child board a bus to take them from the border to a Transit Centre in Renk. Many of the people escaping are South Sudanese returnees who moved to Sudan for safety when civil war broke out in South Sudan between 2013-2018.A general view inside Transit Centre 2 hosting people who fled the conflict in Sudan in the town of Renk in Upper Nile State, South Sudan. Everyone faces a shortage of food, water, shelter and sanitation in the camps.Transit Center Two (TC2) was opened in January 2, 2024 to ease congestion in Transit Center One (TC1) in Renk. With a current capacity of 2,695 individuals, TC2 is now accommodating over 8,540 refugees and returnees as of October 2024, 317% of its intended capacity. (UNHCR)Mothers and their children wait to be assessed at the GOAL Malnutrition Screening Centre in Transit Centre 2 hosting people who fled the conflict in Sudan.A mother helps her child conduct an Appetite Test to determine the next treatment phase at the GOAL Malnutrition Clinic in Transit Centre 2.
Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) are given RUTF food (ready-to-use therapeutic food, an energy dense, micronutrient paste made using peanuts, sugar, milk powder, oil, vitamins and minerals) to determine if a child has returned their appetite and can consume enough RUTF to be treated at home or needs to be referred to the GOAL stabilisation clinic in Renk Civil Hospital.A GOAL South Sudan Nutrition staff member performs a MUAC (Mid-Upper Arm Circumference) test on a child to assess acute malnutrition in the GOAL Malnutrition Screening Centre in Transit Centre 2.
A mother and her children with severe malnutrition wait to see a Clinical Officer at the GOAL Stabilisation Centre in Renk Civil Hospital.New arrivals from the border crossing between Sudan and South Sudan arrive by truck at Transit Centre 2 hosting people who fled the conflict in Sudan in the town of Renk in Upper Nile State, South Sudan.An overcrowded water point in Transit Centre 2 hosting people who fled the conflict in Sudan. Lack of water and sanitation is a growing concern after a cholera outbreak started in September 2024 in the camps and around the town of Renk.An elderly lady is seen in her makeshift shelter inside Transit Centre 2 hosting people who fled the conflict in Sudan.A general view inside Transit Centre 2. Many families aim to move to another location in South Sudan but with new arrivals everyday the camps are becoming increasingly overstretched.
Some images and how the pictures were used in publications from an assignment to Zimbabwe with Irish aid agency GOAL Global in January 2024.
Gospel Chingwaru from Goal Zimbabwe, talks with Mercy Mouta & husband Inoch, who is blind, on the stairs in their block of flats in Mbare, Harare, Zimbabwe on Monday, January 15, 2024. They are part of the GOAL Zimbabwe Urban Resilience program.Mercy Mouta & her husband Inoch who is blind talk with Simbarashe Gobvu, a Field officer from Goal Zimbabwe,in their apartment in a block of flats in Mbare, Harare, Zimbabwe. This couple have been living for the last 30 years in the Mbare flat complex. They live in one room with their three adult sons.A general view of the run down blocks of flats in Mbare, Harare, Zimbabwe. Goal Zimbabwe run a number of programs in the area as part of their Urban Resilience program.Gospel Chingwaru, the Urban Resilience Coordinator from Goal Zimbabwe, talks with Betty Jumbi outside her apartment in a block of flats in Mbare, Harare, Zimbabwe on Monday, January 15, 2024. Betty was part of a Multipurpose Cash Transfer program.Webster Hakata, Logistics Officer Managing Fleet at GOAL Zimbabwe, is seen driving on rough roads near Plumtree, Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe, Thursday, January 18, 2024Simba Chitituma, Livestock Officer with Goal Zimbabwe, talks with a lead goat breeder Roy Nkomo in the Bagan community in Bulilima district, Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe. As a lead goat breeder, Roy teaches other farmers after GOAL provides him with one adult male goat to cross breed with other local breeds.Tsitsi Gumbo, a Nutrition Officer with Goal Zimbabwe, poses for a photograph in Mangue District, Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe.Tsitsi Gumbo, a Nutrition Officer with Goal Zimbabwe, demonstrates healthy cooking tips with a Nutrition Care Group in Mangue District, Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe.Goal Zimbabwe staff trying to recover a Goal vehicle which became bogged whilst driving in rough conditions in Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe.Lindiwe talks with Polite a Field Officer from Goal Zimbabwe about her chicken rearing business in the suburb of Stoneridge, Harare. Lindiwe joined the TIFED (Technical and Vocational Education Training) Programme which provided cash assistance to buy chicks and feed to enable her to start a chicken rearing business.
Images taken during an assignment for GOAL Global, in August 2022.
Conflict, climate change and an economic and political crisis are fuelling a growing humanitarian emergency in North Darfur, resulting in rising cases of malnutrition. The region has some of the poorest nutrition levels in Sudan with 45.9 per cent of children under five suffering chronic malnutrition.
Over 1.9 million people have been identified as in need of assistance with the most vulnerable living in dire conditions in Internally Displaced Persons camps such as Kassab IDP camp. These camps were first set up as temporary emergency shelters in 2004 when war swept across Darfur.
Irish aid agency GOAL is leading international aid efforts to combat rising malnutrition in the Kutum area, where 71 per cent of households live on less than AUD $3 per day amid widespread food shortages. Its primary health care clinic near Kassab IDP camp, where more than 25,000 people are in desperate need of help, has seen a sharp rise in malnutrition in recent months as families struggle to survive.
Kassab IDP (Internally Displaced People) camp is home to over 25,000 people near the town of Kutum, North Darfur. Most of the residents fled their homes at the beginning of the conflict and conditions remain dire. The root causes that led to their displacement remain unaddressed.A young girl with Severe Acute Malnutrition is weighed by GOAL medical assistants at a the Primary Health Care Clinic next to Kassab IDP camp, Kutum, North Darfur.A child is confirmed to be at risk of Severe Acute Malnutrition after a MUAC test (Mid-Upper Arm Circumference) at a GOAL Clinic next to Kassab IDP camp, Kutum, North Darfur. A 2021 GOAL assessment found 71% of households in Kutum were living on less than AUD3 per day.Kassab camp residents listen to disease prevention and health promotion advice from Community Health Promoters as they wait to be seen at a GOAL Primary Health Care Clinic next to Kassab IDP camp, near Kutum, North Darfur.Children receive Plumpy’nut and after being diagnosed with malnutrition at a GOAL Primary Health Care Clinic next to Kassab IDP camp, Kutum, North Darfur. The majority of children respond well to treatment with Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food like Plumpy’nut. This is a specially formulated high energy therapeutic paste enriched with vitamins and minerals.A general street scene in the town of Kutum, North Darfur. GOAL is the only clinic providing life-saving services for IDP and host communities in conflict-affected areas of Kutum and Al Waha. With a team of 160+, GOAL has been operational in North Darfur State for more than a decade.Plumpy’nut rations to treat children with malnutrition are delivered to the GOAL compound in Kutum, North Darfur.Neamah (35) stands outside her compound in Kassab IDP camp, Kutum, North Darfur. Neamah fled her home due to fighting and arrived in Kassab aged 18. She now lives alone with her five children. With no access to land to farm and no other source of income, Neamah only eats once a day and struggles to provide two meals a day for her children. Food security is an ongoing issue in the camp and her second child had to be treated for malnutrition when he was six years old.Kassab IDP (Internally Displaced People) near Kutum, North Darfur. Nutrition is one of the most serious socioeconomic and health problems of Sudan. Populations of Darfur are especially vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition due to the prolonged conflicts.Damaged buildings are seen before a rainstorm near the town of Kutum, North Darfur. Intense rainstorms and the lack of road infrastructure make the delivery of humanitarian aid challenging.
Jamilla (33) sits in her compound with her 20-day old boy called Amana in Kassab IDP camp, Kutum, North Darfur. Jamilla fled conflict in her home village in 2003 and was 14 when she arrived in Kassab IDP camp. Jamilla had previously lost two babies during birth.Women and girls collect water from a rehabilitated water stand in in Kassab IDP camp, Kutum, North Darfur.A women collects water from a rehabilitated water stand in in Kassab IDP camp, Kutum, North Darfur. Water sources are commonly more than 30 min away with an average wait time of more than half an hour in line, and verbal abuse and sometimes physical abuse at water points is often reported in these queues. Setana and Rawda, GOAL Community Nutrition Volunteers walk house to house checking in on families for the presence of malnutrition in Kassab IDP camp near Kutum, North Darfur. The volunteers are IDP’s themselves and live in the camp so are trusted and know the community well.Women walk back to Kassab IDP camp near the town of Kutum, North Darfur on Friday, 19th
August, 2022.
Images and film shot on assignment for Caritas Australia as part of the Project Compassion 2023 appeal.
Laxmi (16) lives with her mother in one of the most remote and least developed districts in Western Nepal.
Tragedy struck after her father died when she was 10 years old. Laxmi was devasted. She used to love going to school but for the first time, she stopped attending her classes.
With the encouragement of her mother and fellow students at the Child’s Club she attended, she was convinced to return. The Child’s Club, supported by Caritas Australia partner Caritas Nepal, helps students to develop their speaking, writing and leadership skills through extracurricular activities.
After returning to school, Laxmi excelled in her studies and eventually became the leader of the Child’s Club. Now, Laxmi has graduated from high school and is studying to become a civil engineer. She continues to be involved in the Child’s Club, serving as an advisor, and mentoring the next generation of young leaders at her old school.
“I have to show them what I did with my talent. How I changed. Teach them what they can do. I want them to learn from the things I did,” – Laxmi.
Laxmi looks out from the roof of her house in Jarjakot district, western Nepal.
Laxmi lives with her mother and siblings in Jajarkot, one of the least developed districts in the remote Karnali province, with almost half of the population living below the poverty line. Girls and young women in remote Nepal face numerous challenges with many being forced into early marriage and dropping out of school or face labour exploitation.
Despite the economic hardship that her family faced, Laxmi’s parents were determined that their daughter receive an education. However, when her father died when she was 10 years old her future was at risk. She stopped going to school and only returned when encouraged by members of her schools Child’s Club, which is supported by Caritas Nepal, through the Caritas Australia, Nepal Livelihoods and Resilience Program.
After her father died Laxmi left school and her future was at risk.
These clubs support students to participate in extracurricular activities to develop their speaking, writing and leadership skills through debating competitions and essay writings.
Laxmi (16) is seen facilitating a wall magazine poster making session with Child’s Club members at her old school.Child’s Club members are seen during a debating competition facilitated by Laxmi (16) at her old school in Jarjakot district.As an active member of the Child’s Club, Laxmi developed the skills and confidence to become a leader.
The children also organise awareness-raising activities such as public rallies, street dramas and posting wall magazines to highlights issues such as child rights, child protection, child marriage and labour exploitation.
Laxmi (16) is seen leading a rally with Child’s Club members calling for child rights, such as access to education and stopping child marriage and child labour, through villages near her home.An estimated 32.8% of women aged 20–24 years old are already married or in a union before they turn 18 (UN Women). Girls who enter into early marriage often drop out of school and children in vulnerable communities are particularly at risk of exploitation.Laxmi (16) and her mother Mankala (52) outside their home.
Laxmi lives with her mother Mankala (52) and she has two elder brothers and two elder sisters. Their family house is situated next to a giant suspension bridge – the second biggest in Nepal- which stretches over the Bheri River.
“Even though I didn’t go to school, I wish my children to live a happy life and earn well,” – Mankala,
Their family house next to a giant suspension bridge.Laxmi washes her face outside her home.
Their only source of income is from growing produce in nearby fields.
“I feel sad seeing my mother’s struggle. Mother does all this for us, so that we can study and we don’t have to struggle like this in the future. She is working so hard for our education,” – Laxmi
Laxmi (16) and her mother Mankala (52) walk to work in their fields close to their home.Laxmi and her mother Mankala work in their fields close to their home.
“If I don’t get to study, then I’ll experience hardship. I’ll have to struggle like mother. If I don’t get to study, then I’ll have no knowledge. I know we can only get good employment after we study,” – Laxmi
Laxmi outside her home in Jarjakot district.Laxmi is seen in class at her technical school which is a four hour walk from her home.
Laxmi has graduated from high school and is now studying a Diploma in Civil Engineering at a technical school that is four hours’ walk away.
Her dream is to work as an engineer and create a better life for her mother. She has seen how hard her mother struggled after the death of her father, working from dawn to dusk every day to support her children.
Laxmi (16) looks out from a suspension bridge next to her home.
“So, when I finish my studies, I want to get rid of my mother’s struggles.” – Laxmi
Laxmi continues to be involved in the Child’s Club, serving as an advisor. She attends the meetings regularly, mentoring the next generation of young leaders at her old school.
Since 2018, Caritas Nepal has supported more than 5,000 children through the child clubs.
Images and film shot on assignment for Caritas Australia as part of the Project Compassion 2019 appeal.
An estimated 2.1 billion people worldwide still do not have access to clean fresh drinking water.
For Thandalwayao, a 12 year old girl living in Zimbabwe, this meant having to walk 3.5km twice a day down a steep dangerous hill to collect dirty river water. Carrying a five-litre container, this often left her exhausted and ill, affecting her schooling and her dreams of becoming a nurse.
“I went to school tired after collecting water and my performance at school was low.” – Thandolwayo
To help overcome this, her community teamed up with Caritas Australia partner Caritas Hwange to build a solar powered water pump to draw water up from the river through filtration stations and into two 10,000 litre storage tanks. A tap was set up near the local primary school providing the whole community with unlimited fresh, clean water which has transformed their lives and futures.
“Life has really changed as a result of the tap because now I can bathe every day. I now go to school feeling fresh. We now drink clean, safe water and diseases are no longer affecting us.” – Thandalwayao
The images below and the film above were shot for Caritas Australia for their annual Project Compassion fundraising campaign.
The front page image used on the campaign website and fundraising materials.
Thandolwayo and her grandmother Regina sit outside their kitchen.
Thandolwayo lives with her grandmother Regina in Msuna Hills, one of the most marginalised villages in Hwange district, Zimbabwe. The village has a population of 500 people, comprising of 58 households.
Around 72 percent of Zimbabwe’s population is living below the poverty line. Thandolwayo’s community is also plagued by ongoing droughts, food and water scarcity and poor sanitation.
An aerial view of Thandolwayo and Regina her grandmother grinding millet in their homestead.
Her father left several years ago and her mother lives in a town 90 kilometres away where she works as a casual labourer. Her older sister also moved away to attend secondary school. Thandolwayo attends the local school which has just 35 students and two teachers.
“I’m so proud that tap water has been brought to this community during my lifetime,” says Thandolwayo’s grandmother, Regina. “We now have enough time and energy to do other work to make life better. Thandolwayo can eat three meals a day and she can concentrate much better at school. We hope she will excel and get a good job and take care of her family.”
Thandolwayo drinks from the new water pipe in Msuna Hills.
Thandolwayo drinks from the new water pipe in Msuna Hills.
Before the tap was installed, every morning before school, Thandolwayo used to walk 3.5 kilometres with the other women and girls to the Gwayi River and back again. Carrying a five litre container, she would traverse a rocky, mountainous path to collect water for her family and her teacher. Exhausted from hours fetching and carrying water, she’d then start her day at school.
Thandolwayo walks along the banks of the Gweyi river where she used to collect dirty water from before a new water pipe was installed in her village.
Thandolwayo demonstrates how she used to fill up her water container with dirty water.
Thandolwayo shows dirty water from the Gweyi river that she and her community had to drink before a new water pipe was installed in her village.
“I never liked going down to Gwayi River but I had no choice because we had no other source of water.” – Thandolwayo
Thandolwayo walks back up a steep hill back to her village after collecting dirty water from the Gweyi river.
Thandolwayo walks past Baobab trees after collecting dirty water from the Gweyi river.
In 2017, Caritas Australia partnered with Caritas Hwange to help the community to install two solar-powered pumps to draw the water up from the river, as well as two 10,000 litre storage tanks.
Super Dube, Diocesan Co-ordinator Caritas Hwange talks to community members from Msuna Hills during a meeting next to the new water tanks and tap.
Thandolwayo(centre) in seen during lessons at Msuna Primary School. “I went to school tired after collecting water and my performance at school was low.”
Shirley, an indigenous Manide woman from the remote Camarines Norte province in the Philippines, has overcome discrimination, poverty and inequality to train as a Tribal Health Worker. She is now able to support her family, send her children to school and has become a leader in her community, standing up for their rights and better health outcomes.
Shirley was the lead story for the Caritas Australia Project Compassion 2020 campaign which launched earlier this year, just as coronavirus was starting to spread through the Philippines and the rest of the world. Her role as a Tribal Health Worker has now become even more crucial.
We spent a week with Shirley in her community, documenting her story in film and images, which were used in this year’s campaign.
The approximately 17 million indigenous people in the Philippines are some of the most vulnerable in the nation, suffering discrimination, high rates of ill health and displacement from their ancestral lands.
Shirley, who is married and has two sons and two daughters, are members of the Manide people who were once a semi nomadic community. She now lives with 15 other Manide families in a new settled community alongside non-indigenous families, set up in 2006 with assistance from the Philippines government.
Shirley conducts home health visits in her Manide community in Camarines Norte, Philippines.
A general view of the Manide community where Shirley lives.
Shirley with her family, Reymark (16), husband Ernesto, Althea (14) and in front Angelo (5) and Angel (8) in their community in Camarines Norte.
Shirley poses for a picture with members of her Manide community outside their Tribal Hall.
After meeting local Caritas Australia partner SPACFI, Shirley was encouraged to train as a Tribal Health Worker with the aim of becoming a much needed and trusted intermediary between her community and government health care services. Historically, the Manide had trouble accessing health care due to discrimination and their fear of mixing with non-indigenous people.
Shirley prepares multivitamins drops for a child at the local government health clinic near her Manide community.
Now qualified, Shirley works in the local government health clinic as well as conducting home visits within her community.
Shirley said, “When I became a health worker, my tribe gained the confidence to visit the health centre. I became the voice of my tribe to have their needs heard. As a trained health worker, I am confident to talk, to mingle with non-indigenous people, even with government employees.”
Shirley has been trained as a Tribal Health Worker and works in the local government run health clinic as well as conducting home visits within her community.
The aim of the SPACFI program is to help Manide people overcome any sense of inferiority brought about by the discrimination and marginalisation they have experienced. It has supported them in advocating for their land rights, getting better employment, and improving their access to health, education, housing and sanitation.
Shirley talks with Eric, a community organiser with SPACFI, whilst conducting home health visits in her Manide community.
Shirley records the blood pressure of an elderly Manide community member as part of a home health visit in their community.
Through the program, Shirley has received training and workshops which has contributed to her awareness and rights as an indigenous person.
SPACFI’s Community Development Worker, Eric Encinas said, “
“To have Shirley as a representative for indigenous people gives courage to the community. The most significant change in this community is the affirmation of their right to be heard, right to education, right to participate in community activities.”
A mother and child from Shirley’s Manide community look out from their traditional hut.
Shirley (right) talks with a mother and child sitting outside their traditional hut whilst conducting home health visits.
Since taking on the role, fewer children in Shirley’s community are now sick or malnourished and more are going to school due to greater acceptance of the Manide people.
Shirley said, “My job assists indigenous people to visit the health centre to get their kids vaccinated. We no longer have cases of severe diseases. “
Manide children run through their community where Shirley lives. Since gaining access to medical care the children are now healthier.
Shirley herself has experienced many forms of discrimination. She recalled an occasion when a Jeepney driver insisted Shirley and other community members ride on top of the vehicle instead of inside. Shirley fought back, saying , “It’s too hot on the roof, why should I sit on the roof ?”. They stood their ground and explained to the driver they were all equal and wouldn’t follow his instructions but would wait for another Jeepney. The driver relented and they continued their journey inside.
Shirley flags down a local Jeepney near to her home. She recalled an occasion when the driver insisted Shirley and other community members ride on top of the vehicle instead of inside.
Her community often faces discrimination from non-indigenous people.
Shirley believes much of the discrimination comes from her tribe’s lack of education and feeling of inferiority. Most of the older generation of Manide people are illiterate due to their nomadic living and discrimination at school.
All of Shirley’s children now attend school, including her two youngest, Angel (8) and Angelo (5) who go to a nearby mixed indigenous and non-indigenous school. SPACFI helps all the Manide children with access to schooling by assisting with fees, uniforms and school supplies.
Shirley combs Angel’s hair at home as Angelo plays before leaving for the local school.
Shirley helps Angelo into his school uniform at home. Most of the older generation of Manide people are illiterate due to their nomadic living and discrimination.
Poorly educated herself while growing up, Shirley had to survive collecting materials in the forests to make slippers out of dried banana bark to then sell. Understanding the importance of education in breaking the cycle of poverty and discrimination, Shirley said,
“My dream is to be able to provide for my kids and have them finish their studies. Finishing school is important to end bullying of indigenous people.”
Shirley’s children attend school with the help of SPACFI who assist with fees, uniforms and school supplies.
Angel (8), youngest daughter of Shirley, is seen during lessons at her local school close to her Manide community. The school is a mixed indigenous and non-indigenous school.
Shirley also recently took over her father’s role as tribal chieftain and now represents her people on her local health board. As a community leader, she helps Manide people to access medicine, vaccines, healthcare and nutritional advice.
Shirley is the tribal leader of her community, a position passed down from her father.
Shirley and her community are part of the Caritas Australia funded project run by local partner SPACFI. It helps strengthen their capacities to advocate for their rights over their ancestral lands, securing cultural conservation and integrity.
Manide community members listen as Shirley leads a discussion next to the Tribal Hall.
The program enhances their capacity to access health, education, safe drinking water, housing support and sanitation.
Shirley said, : There are good things that happened here in our tribe. Our kids are healthier, I’m proud of what I’ve done for my tribe.”
Images and film shot on assignment for Caritas Australia as part of the Project Compassion 2018 appeal.
Janaki was forced to marry at 12 years old into an abusive family in Surkhet district, Western Nepal. Despite losing her husband three years later and being ostracised by her community, she now runs a successful tailoring business and is a strong advocate against domestic violence and forced marriage.
Janaki was at school when her family situation changed her life.
‘While I was studying, our economic status was poor and my parents had to go to India for medical treatment. Being the eldest, I had to manage all the household work and send my brother and sisters to school, after that I could to go school.” Janaki said.
Then her grandparents followed tradition and forced Janaki into an arranged marriage with abusive in laws. Her mother and father were unaware about her marriage, but her grandparents insisted she was married before their death.
“At the age of 12, I was forced into marriage although I was not ready for it. I can’t even explain the hardship I had to face at my husband’s house. ” – Janaki
‘Although I used to give my best, my father and mother in law were never satisfied and they used to scold me for no reason. I used to share my pain with my husband but he used to say to me to ignore these thing and convince me by saying they are old so not to take it seriously.’ she said.
Janaki pictured sitting on her bed at her family home in Surkhet district in Western Nepal. Janaki returned home after being forced into marriage aged 12 and her husband died three years later from typhoid.
Three years into the marriage, her situation became even more precarious when her husband fell ill with typhoid. They couldn’t afford to get him medical treatment and he died. Her in laws blamed her for his death and she was ostracised by them and her community.
Her parents had returned from India, so Janaki went home. She explained, “I used to cry every day and every night. The neighbours and villagers used to backbite against me. After the tragedy of my husband, everyone tried to force me to remarry. I was so frustrated that I thought that my life was a waste. Slowly I realised that I needed to move on and learn some skills.”
Janaki talks with her mother Khima in their kitchen. Khima and her husband, Dhan where in India seeking medical care when the grandparents followed tradition and arranged for Janaki to be married aged 12.
A view overlooking the main street in the town where Janaki lives in Surkhet district, Western Nepal. High levels of poverty and traditional practices contribute to the elevated incidents of child marriage.
After meeting a local Caritas staff member, Janaki was encouraged to join a youth club, run by the Ekata Foundation in her village as part of their Children and Youth Empowerment Program (CYEP).
CYEP helps over 14,000 children and young people each year. It increases the knowledge and leadership qualities of children and youth from disadvantaged families, through the formation of clubs, information centres, networks and libraries. It also provides jobs skills and helps them to create income-generating projects.
Through the club Janaki gained access to a tailoring course and after three months she was one of the best students from the forty participants. The club then organised a loan to buy a machine and she set up her own business.
‘Everybody used to doubt me but I stood on my determination to learn tailoring skills.’ – Janaki
Janaki was encouraged to join a youth club as part of the Caritas Australia, Children and Youth Empowerment Program (CYEP) which improved her confidence and provided her with sewing training and on completion, a loan to buy her own machine.
Janaki (left) demonstrating cutting techniques to Khagisara, one of her trainees. Janaki teaches other vulnerable women and youth in her community how to sew so they too can be empowered and earn a living.
Eight years on and Janaki now has eleven machines and runs her business from a workshop next to the family home. She is repaying her loan and can afford to look after her family and support her brothers and sisters with their education.
Feeling the need to help others, she also trains eighteen other vulnerable women, many victims of child marriage themselves, to allow them a fresh start in life.
‘Our sisters who are becoming victims of domestic violence, I wish them to learn this skill so that they can be independent and show themselves to the society that women are not backward. My dream is to help all those sisters in need and make them stable. ‘ – Janaki
Janaki with her trainees, many of whom have experienced child marriage or domestic violence. Janaki now runs a successful business and has 11 sewing machines to use for her classes.
With increased confidence in herself, Janaki joined the committee at her youth network and soon became its leader. She started to help organise regular campaigns looking into issues affecting their community such as child marriage, domestic violence and workers’ rights.
“I needed to be a leader and serve my community. Alone we cannot do anything. Unity has to be there.” – Janaki
Janaki (centre) and other members of the Youth Network walk through their village to put up advocacy posters about the issue of child marriage.
Janaki putting up an anti-child marriage poster as part of a youth club initiative.
The youth club also stages regular dramas for the community as an educational tool to raise awareness and to facilitate group discussion on sensitive subjects, such as child marriage.
Members of the youth club re-enact a child marriage.
Janaki (right) plays the mother in a drama about the issues of child marriage organised by the Youth Network in front of the local community.
The community now see Janaki as a role model and a strong vocal advocate against domestic violence and forced marriage.
‘Janaki said, ‘I’m happy that I’m motivating and teaching other women like me so that they can make themselves self-dependent. I can feel the change in the behaviour of my neighbour towards me. Before they used to see me with eyes of sympathy and pity. Now they appreciate my work and things have changed a lot.’
‘After the training and motivation from the youth network, I feel like now I am not alone. I have my family and my friends from the youth club. ‘ -Janaki
With increased confidence and skills, Janaki has become a leader in the Youth Club and an inspiration to other young people.
Rattanak is a skilled young barber, living an independent life in rural Cambodia. But it wasn’t always that way. As a child he contracted polio and also became deaf. Like many people who are deaf or hard of hearing, Rattanak faced isolation at home, unable to communicate with his family or community until being introduced to the Deaf Development Program (DDP), based in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.
There are over 51,000 deaf people in Cambodia but DDP is the only deaf training school open to adults. The Deaf Development Program (DDP) is run by Caritas Australia partner, Maryknoll Cambodia, and provides sign language, job training and interpreting services to people aged 16 and over who are deaf or hard of hearing. The centre is also raising awareness about deafness in wider Cambodian society.
Rattanak inside his barber shop in Kandal province, Cambodia.
Most students in DDP spend two years learning Khmer sign language, literacy, numeracy and life skills then spend a year on a job training course such as sewing, cooking, barbering, wood carving, metal crafts, electrical fan repairing, beauty and hair dressing. The aim is to give deaf people a path to an independent future.
Students are taught Khmer sign language at the Deaf Development Program (DDP) school in Phnom Penh.
Students are taught Khmer sign language by DDP teacher Sokhary at the Deaf Development Program (DDP).
‘Deaf people need sign language in order to communicate but their parents cannot sign, their neighbours cannot sign. Deaf people are among their family but in fact they are isolated.’ – Sokly, Deaf Development Program, Co-Director
Students are also taught how to write in Khmer and take maths and social science classes as part of the two year course.
Students are taught Khmer sign language by DDP teacher Sokhary at the Deaf Development Program (DDP) school in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.
DDP set up a Barber Shop next to their head office in Phnom Penh to enable their students to gain practical experience. The trainees practice on each other and the general public can also walk in for a discounted hair cut.
Trainees are taught how to cut hair in the Deaf Development Program (DDP) job training project Barber Shop which is located next to the head office of DDP in Phnom Penh.
Students of the Deaf Development Program’s barber course getting practical experience, enabling them to master their trade.
“The goal of the Deaf Development Program is to help deaf people achieve independence and to be respected and accepted in all aspects of Cambodian society.” – Sokly, Deaf Development Program, Co-Director
Trainees are taught how to cut hair in the Deaf Development Program (DDP) job training project Barber Shop which is located next to the head office of DDP in Phnom Penh.
Rattanak studied Cambodian sign language, Khmer writing, social sciences and maths, for two years before learning his trade as a barber. After graduating in 2012, he set up a barbershop outside his family home about an hours drive from Phnom Penh, which has since proven to be highly successful.
Rattanak cutting a clients hair in his barber shop which is located in front of his home in Kandal province, Cambodia.
“Because of DDP, I’ve had the opportunity to develop and to learn and increase my knowledge, now I’m much more confident in everything that I do,” Rattanak says.
Rattanak cuts a young boys hair with his mother looking. Rattanak learnt valuable technical skills from the Deaf Development Program and runs a successful barber shop.
Rattanak checks his social media accounts on his phone whilst waiting for clients at his home in Kandal province, Cambodia.
Social media became a big part of Rattanak’s life to not only communicate with friends but also watching educational YouTube videos about hairdressing. After he was introduced to his wife hearing Phirom, he used to talk to her through social media and after they were married in 2016 he taught her sign language. They are now expecting their first baby.
Rattanak with his wife Phirom in their home in Kandal province, Cambodia.
Rattanak (centre) communicates with family members in their home in Kandal province, Cambodia.
After finishing his training with the Deaf Development Program, Rattanak is now able to sign in Khmer and has a thriving business styling hair.
“Rattanak is a good example. He’s very independent and he can make his own money, he can save money, he can set up his family, he got married and started a family. His future is bright, there is no going back. His life can only improve for the better.” Sokly, Deaf Development Program, Co-Director
Rattanak waits for clients outside his barber shop in Kandal province, Cambodia.
I travelled with Act for Peace CEO Janet Cousens to Jamtoli refugee camp in Bangladesh to document how their partner CAID were providing assistance to the more than 52,000 people who had sought shelter there.
Jamtoli is just one of many camps that now provide shelter for over 700,000 refugees who fled Myanmar following an upsurge in violence in August 2017 by the Myanmar army in the state of Rakhine.
Below are some of the images and an appeal film shot during our time there. It was the 65th anniversary of the Christmas Bowl this year so if you’d like to make a donation please click on Christmas Bowl 2018.
The full portfolio of images can be seen here. (Names have been changed to protect identities.)
Ayesha (23) sits with her daughters Hasina (2) and Shafiqa (5) in their shelter in Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Her son Sami, who was 16 days old when the Myanmar army attacked her village, died during the journey to Bangladesh.
Ayesha (23) and her family were one of the first families we met in the camp. Whilst cradling her youngest daughter Hasina (2), Ayesha told us how she had given birth to her son Sami 16 days before the Myanmar army attacked her village. She had to flee at night in the rain with her husband Zubai (26) and her two daughters Shafiqa (5) and Hasina (2), towards the Naf river, hoping to cross into Bangladesh.
With few possessions and no money, they had to pay a boatman with their remaining marital gold to cross the river, but the water levels were so low they had to jump into the river and cross the mud flats. Her children became wet and covered in mud but had no choice but to continue. When they eventually made it to the safety of Bangladesh there wasn’t any food, water or shelter. He son Sami died soon after from being exposed to the wet and cold.
Ayesha (23) with husband Zubai (26) and daughters Shafiqa (5) and Hasina (2) in their shelter in Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. They lost most of their possessions when fleeing their village.
They were eventually directed to Jamtoli where a new spontaneous settlement was growing daily during those first few chaotic weeks of the crisis and were allocated a shelter.
Ayesha (23) bathes her daughter Hasina (2) outside her home which is next to the Community Kitchen in Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar.
Eight months on and Ayesha now has access to water and food and the family have been provided with cooking and hygiene materials from aid agencies such as Act for Peace but life remains harsh in the cramped and unhealthy conditions of the camp and there is little hope of a safe return anytime soon.
Ayesha (23) looks out of her shelter in Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp. Ayesha had given birth to her son Sami 16 days before the Myanmar army raided her village forcing her family to flee into Bangladesh. Due to the arduous journey in cold weather and lack of food and water, Sami didn’t survive.
On the two hour daily drive south from the city of Cox’s Bazar you pass the sprawling mega camp of Kutupalong and on first arriving at Jamtoli camp it can seem overwhelming and disorientating to the senses. Looking at the barren, denuded hills crammed with endless shelters constructed of plastic sheeting and bamboo, it’s hard to image that Jamtoli was once a small, thickly forested farming village of local-born ethnic Bangladeshis.
Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp is now home to over 57,000 and exists just south of the mega camps that host over 700,000 in the region of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
Inside every one of the shelters, a story of loss and tragedy can be found but also of survival and resilience. Mohammed (12) and his sister Noor (10) were at home the night their village was attacked and their family fled to the Naf river. As they hid on the banks, looking for a way to cross, they were fired upon. They saw their mother and father shot dead and then their youngest brother was also killed. They now live with their uncle and his extended family.
With very few psycho social services available in the camp, they go to a Women and Child Friendly Space each day to try and regain some sense of normality in their lives and be children again.
Mohammed (12) and his sister Noor (10) are pictured inside their tent in Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. They saw their parents and youngest brother shot dead whilst trying to cross into Bangladesh. They now live with their uncle and extended family.
Children arrive at one of the Women and Child Friendly Spaces.
The centres provide a safe place to go and participate in activities such as drawing, telling stories, ABC’s and indoor games and is run by Act for Peace partner Gana Unnayan Kendra (GUK). Most of the teachers are volunteers from the local community. Noor said she liked to draw pictures of flowers and birds. At the time there was no formal education system set up in the camps and Mohammed said he was afraid of missing out on his education but enjoyed going to the centre anyway and wanted to become teacher.
Noor (10) (right) is seen drawing with friends at a Women and Child Friendly Space in Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. Noor witnessed her parents and youngest brother killed whilst fleeing into Bangladesh.
Mohammed (12) (centre) joins in learning with other children at a Women and Child Friendly Space in Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazaar.
The need for basics such as food, water and medical care remain critical. Malnutrition is a major concern and close to emergency levels in the camps.
Children line up to be seen at a satellite medical clinic in Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. Between the main health centre and five satellite clinics DAM sees between 1200 to 1500 patients a day.
Whilst interviewing Dr Hassan, one of the volunteer doctors from Dhaka working for Act for Peace partner DAM, Farida arrived at the clinic with her sons Min (7) and Yasin (11). They were diagnosed with a skin disorder related to malnutrition.
Farida looks on as her son Min (7) is treated by Dr Hassan for a skin disorder caused by malnutrition at a health centre in Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp.
Farida told us her husband, who had been imprisoned and tortured, fled Burma after the army burnt down their home and three of their children died in the fire. It took them fifteen days to reach Jamtoli and they now live with their seven remaining children in the camp.
Dr Hassan from (DAM) looks at a skin disorder on the arms of Min (7) caused by malnutrition at a health centre in Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar.
Dr Hassan from (DAM) looks at a skin disorder on the arms of Yasin (11) and his brother Min (7) caused by malnutrition at a health centre in Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. Malnutrition in the camps is a major concern.
They were prescribed treatment for the skin disorder and referred to a specialist malnutrition clinic.
Having fled without any possessions, at least 80% of the new arrivals are entirely dependent on humanitarian aid for survival so distributions of food and non food items are carried out almost every day.
Rice and other items are distributed by aid agencies in Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar.
Women collect non food items at a distribution centre in Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar.
Over 58% of the refugees are women and children so the risk of gender based violence is high. One of the greatest risks to women and children are when they have to walk miles looking for firewood for cooking. Community Kitchens have been set up around the camp offering safe, clean, gas provided cooking spaces, but they also function as a place for women to meet and share their stories which helps with their psychosocial well-being.
Jamila (40) pictured outside her shelter in Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazaar. Jamila suffers from depression after her son, brother and nephew were shot by the Burmese Army.
Jamila (40) uses a kitchen next to her shelter where she lives with her husband, five sons and two daughters. Jamila suffers from depression after her eldest son, brother and nephew were shot by the Burmese Army. She says when she is in the Community Kitchen with her friends her depression is lifted but when she is alone it returns.
Jamila (40) (right) talks with friends whilst cooking lentils for her family in a Community Kitchen in Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. Jamila says when she is in the Community Kitchen with her friends her depression is lifted but when she is alone it returns.
The kitchens also reduce environmental degradation caused by deforestation and without them, families have to cook in their tents creating smoke and fire hazards.
Jamila (40) (centre) serves up lentils she has just cooked in a Community Kitchen in Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar.
In the hot and humid conditions, access to fresh clean drinking water becomes a priority. Whilst there are water pumps installed in the camp, some families still face challengers in accessing them.
Razia (10) and Sufaira (13) who are friends are seen collecting water in Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar.
Sufaira (13) and her friend Razia (10) have to make the difficult, tiring and dangerous journey down and up a steep hill between three and ten times a day to collect water. Their families arrived later at the camp and the only space they could find to build a shelter was on the wind swept brow of a hill.
Razia (10) and Sufaira (13) are pictured outside their home after collecting water from a water pump at the bottom of the hill in Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar.
Sufaira (13) said, ‘It’s a very painful journey and we have fallen many times. My mother broken her arm collecting water. “ They are hoping a water pump can be installed nearer to their home.
The flow of refugees from Myanmar to Bangladesh has slowed but violence and persecution in Rakhine state continues. In November 2018 there was an attempt to start repatriation of refugees back to Myanmar but few, if anyone, volunteered and the plans were halted.
A general view of Jamtoli Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar.
The need to provide the basics for survival in the camps is essential. Below is a short appeal video that we shot and donations can be made here.
A farming project in Zimbabwe was chosen as this years focus for the Act for Peace Christmas Bowl appeal with Jessina and her amazing family showing how it’s done. Below are some images and video from the two trips taken during different seasons. If you want to learn more or donate please click on Christmas Bowl 2016.
Jessina has been a member of the Conservation Farming program for four years and the family is now considered food secure. Before joining the program, the land they farmed didn’t produce enough maize to feed the family or send their children to school. With a changing climate, prolonged drought and irregular rainfall patterns, the family was becoming increasingly vulnerable.
Jessina on the front of the campaign brochure.
Jessina was introduced to the program run by local partners Christian Care and after the first year she had produced enough food for her family and was able to sell the surplus maize and buy a goat for breeding. In the second year she was able to buy her children new clothes and pay school fees.
“I’m now in my third year, and I have many goats, turkeys, guinea fowl and chickens. “ Jessina said.
Jesina standing with her family outside their home in Zaka district, Zimbabwe.
Christian Care have run the program since 2004 and teach farmers techniques such as using year round mulching to lock in moisture and planting at the correct time so that a crop will be possible even in the driest conditions.
Apolonia helps her mother Jesina carry mulch for their newly planted maize fields at their home in Zaka district, Zimbabwe.
Zaka district where Jessina lives is experiencing an unusually long dry spell which has badly affected her first crop of this season. Although she is concerned about not being able to produce a big crop this year, she now has enough maize in reserve and the ability to sell some livestock to pay for food and school fees.
“Even if we do not get good rains I’m confident I can move ahead and sell my goats and turkeys I have got from conservation farming.”
Stanley (6) holds a goat outside his home. Jesina was able to buy a goat for breeding after using conservation farming techniques
Below is a video I shot on the first trip and some more images. Mitch also shot a beautiful video on the second trip which can be seen here.
Joyce Chauke (57), a conservation farmer inspects her field of maize in Chitanga Village in Mwenezi District, south east Zimbabwe.
“Through conservation farming we have managed to harvest more than a tonne. Some we have sold, some we have stored for my family consumption “ Joyce
Family members of Aaron Runesu (54), a lead farmer on the Christian Care conservation farming program helping carry banana grass cuttings used for mulching and feeding livestock in Mapume Cluster in Chiredzi District, Zimbabwe.
This year the region is experiencing a prolonged drought making conditions hard for the farmers.
Aaron started on the farming program in 2009 and is one of the original farmers. His main crop is maize and some groundnuts.
“I’ve learnt not to plant anything without mulch.” Aaron
Marion Makusha (33) preparing breakfast for family members after a mornings work in their fields in Mapume Cluster in Chiredzi District, Zimbabwe.
A view from a hill overlooking Jessina’s home with her house on the near left and the family fields on the right.
Christopher (11) and Stanley (6) herd goats near to their home.
Jessina cooking a meal for her family at her home in Zaka district, Zimbabwe.
Nyemba Beauty and her family are just about to start on the Conservation Farming program. Currently their fields do not produce enough maize.
Jessina planting maize seeds in her fields.
Apolonia (14) collecting water from a communal bore hole 2km from her home. The water is for drinking and household use and it also provides moisture to the newly planted maize crops.
Jessina adding water to her newly planted maize crop.
Desmond Makuni, from Christian Care demonstrating how important mulching is to stop rain run off to new farmers.
Jessina is shown mulching techniques by Newton, a Project Assistant with Christian Care who has been her mentor for four years.
Jessina proudly showing one of her turkeys. She was able to buy the turkeys for breeding after using conservation farming techniques which produced enough maize to feed the family and left enough to sell.
