Before I go on about this interesting artist/social activist project, I found it in the blogsphere ... I've been experimenting with cambodia4kids.org blog to test out the instructions/advice I'm reading on various npotech sites about blogs. My own little action learning project.
I started to find great expat blogs about Cambodia, particularly sweetcucumber and started to follow the links of the comments and found another blog which referenced Elizabeth's project. I emailed her. She told me she had just listed the project in Craig's list in MN. We had several wonderful exchanges back and forth. I posted her notice on several other channels (adoptive parents of Cambodian kids, flickr Cambodian group, etc) and she is getting inquiries and offers of more cameras. I am packing up my old Mavica to send her because it will be easier for her to report on the project via her blog from Cambodia without having to worry about finding a scanner in Siem Reap. I am hoping that I can set up something with my son's class and the kids she is working in Cambodia over the next year .... This reminds me of the early days of Internet back ten years ago ...
Cameras for Cambodia (C4C) is a grassroots project that will take place in the town of Siem Reap, Cambodia. The project was developed by Elizabeth Briel, an American artist and photographer, who will be based in Siem Reap as of June, 2005. C4C will put cameras in the hands of children aged 10-16. These are difficult ages in any society, but many of these kids will face pressure to quit school and work to support their families. Girls are particularly likely to leave school at a young age. C4C will teach them basic photo techniques, pay for developing and enlargements, and hold exhibitions in Cambodia, the US and Paris (summer/fall 2006), and beyond. Profits from sales of their work will go towards their education: even public schools in Cambodia charge desperately poor families fees to keep teachers on staff for an entire school day. If the family cannot afford the fee, the child goes home.
The project will begin with 5 students, and expand up to ten as the project grows. A university-aged Khmer assistant with an interest in photography will also be recruited.
Elizabeth is seeking donations of cameras and photo books before she departs for Cambodia in mid-June. She will take your old, your plastic, your unwanted, even your point-and-shoot 35mm cameras as long as they work! She is also seeking photo books.
The mail-to address is: Cameras for Cambodia c/o Wet Paint, Inc. 1684 Grand Avenue St. Paul, MN, 55105 You may contact her at [email protected]
The project is similar to one sponsored by Global-Children where they gave cameras to children in orphanages. The organization also sponsors the dance and music program at Kampong Speu Orphanage where my daughter lived for 18 months.
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