Categories
congo life Photography story street

Day 21~ April 21st~ Congo

a safe place to rest

For ‘les enfants de la rue’, the children of the street in Kinshasa, a bit of ground in an enclosed secure place can make a world of difference where their safety is concerned. These children roam the streets by night in search of food, opportunity and means and ways. During the day, a center like this one (Cajed), is a place for them to be with people who care for a few hours. The can, eat, have lessons, play and most importantly rest. These 2 children were fast asleep during the whole of my visit and despite other children playing and running and jumping all around them.

I am quite behind in these Congo posts for April, because it gets more and more difficult each day to go relive this experience through the thousands of photos captured there. Each photograph forces me to relive the moments with all the emotions that accompanied it.

Categories
Photography

Day Two Hundred Fifty Nine, October 8, 2011

on the way home

No matter where we travel to, no matter how exciting an adventure is, there is nothing more satisfying than the return home. What waits at home is a sense of relief, to go back to the familiar, to the relaxed knowing that all is well and safe, the joy of being back in the nest. And for a child, their toys become exciting all over again, their bed a haven of comfort and their home a place of well-being. Yes, it is always good to go back home.

Categories
Photography

Day One Hundred Twenty Three, May 25, 2011

safety first, or is it?

It is strange after living in countries that put so much emphasis on traffic safety regulations, like the obligatory use of  helmets, children’s safety, seat belts…etc, to live in Shanghai and witness the loose and almost too relaxed regulations for transportation. This is of course not too alien to me, having lived my first twenty years in Lebanon where everything goes, but I still get a shock each time I see a child riding the Shanghai traffic in this way. All is left to chance, good luck and to the faith that other drivers will be careful. But there has not been a week where I did not see at least one moped, motorcycle, bicycle or car accident in the streets of the city, so there must be something wrong with this picture!