The Future Of Haiti
Before I left to Haiti, I promised that I would try to show the good work being done by volunteers and relief works on the ground in Haiti.
One such project was an orphanage I came across in my first couple of days in Haiti. It had been established after the earthquake, not far from Port-Au-Prince International airport. It houses over 100 children, provides basic shelter, sanitation and medical as well as education the children in Creole, French and English as well as other basic subjects. Food and water are also provided, which for some of these children is the first time they have been fed properly. The plan for the orphanage is to get each child sponsored for life, so they can be continually supported in a fashion that will enable them to live a full life, with a decent education, nourishment and happiness. The children are the future of Haiti. Helping the kids of Haiti is a long-term investment.
For me as a photographer, being part of this orphanage project was probably the most important project I could undertake on this trip. While there are lots of important actions being taken to save people’s lives in the short term and to provide immediate relief, long term actions are vital and any support of the future of this beautiful country is vital.
I took a day out of photographing all other relief efforts and took portraits of over 100 children in the orphanage. I did a portrait of each orphan and then a photo of each with a plaque showing their name and age. The purpose is to use the images on the web to help each child get sponsored. If you want to help Haiti recover from the horror of the last month, give what you can to help an orphan live a full, healthy life. These kids are absolutely amazing. Read my descriptions under the photos below for some heart-warming stories of the utter beauty and humanity evident in each and every child.
More information and more of my photos are available at the link below. Please give what you can:
TheFutureOfHaiti.org
The orphans line up to wash their hands before eating lunch.
Orphans being given their daily lunch. These kids line up like the best behaved of all British people. There's nothing quite as moving as seeing a child that has lived in a malnourished state develop physically from day to day. This is what is happening every day at the orphanage, and it's as simple as giving each kid lunch, dinner and some clean water to drink.
The kids are provided with clean drinking water, but are charged with keeping their own cups or bottles so they can keep the water as provisions have been made for locally sourced water to be purified and drunk by the kids.
An orphan drinks water in a rare spot shaded by the sun.
The orphanage is working in coordination with a variety of organizations including medical teams that provide basic medical needs, vaccinations and other relief. The effect is always immediate, kids who've had very basic medical issues are now doing a lot better.
They are also working with HelpTheOrphans.org who help support the orphans.
Local projects include showing these children soccer skills. With good nutrition, the orphans have a real chance to excel at sports projects. Malnourishment is a problem as bones of malnourished children break easily, particularly during sports.
The children are provided with a basic education, some of them for the first time. A lot of kids wish more than anything to be able to go to school and attain an education - a guarantee that they can make it in the future.
A sampling of the orphan portraits I shot:
I'll end this blog post with a somewhat tragic story that has a happy ending. This particular kid, Amateur, came to the orphanage on the day I was doing the shoot. He had been on the street for an undetermined time, without anyone to look after him. He had injuries to front and the back of his head and no-one knows how these were inflicted. He was afraid of physical contact with any adults or other kids. It was obvious he had been abused in some fashion. He did not know his own age, a fact that hit me hard. This child will never know how old he is, he will never know his birthday and most of all he will never again have parents. He was probably the 60th orphan I had photographed on the day, but when he couldn't name his age, I was truly affected. I took a break and had to wipe my eyes, something had gotten into them. He is now safe and well, being fed and relearning what it means to trust other human beings.
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Feb 17, 2010 @ 10:12 pm
emily
Wow. This is amazing.
Such beautiful children. Thank you for doing this.
Feb 18, 2010 @ 12:08 pm
Anne
Nice work! what will you do with all the individual portraits now you’ve taken them?
Feb 18, 2010 @ 2:21 pm
felixkunze
Thanks Anne, They are on http://www.thefutureofhaiti.org and will also be part of an exhibition in the US at some point.
Feb 18, 2010 @ 2:25 pm
Sebastian
Ah, well done
The girl in torn orange is rather cute.
Feb 18, 2010 @ 6:08 pm
brad kugler
Nice work as usual. I think the last orphan labeled Amateur is the mysterious Peterson here:
http://www.bradkugler.com/Travel/Haiti-Earthquake-Aftermath/IMG6166-2010-01-26/775092068_dLTmY-M.jpg
Feb 19, 2010 @ 1:00 am
Kika
Very Well Done, the pictures are amazing and the captions under really help to understand exactly what those children are going through.
Feb 19, 2010 @ 4:49 am
Marissa
Wow, you’ve done an amazing job, Feliz. Really captured the spirit in each of these amazing children. You are really helping them to have a better future.
Feb 19, 2010 @ 7:54 am
Dave
Very moving photos, you captured their story very well. Just such a shame that their story is also their reality.
Feb 19, 2010 @ 8:50 am
felixkunze
Brad – it’s not him. Definitely not. I will dig up the picture of that one for you.
Feb 19, 2010 @ 12:20 pm
Charlotte
Made me cry. These pictures and your stories make it so real.
Feb 19, 2010 @ 2:17 pm
Michelle_Stott
Really great angle on the Haiti situation, it’s such an important issue to draw focus to. good work.
Feb 21, 2010 @ 5:15 pm
Berlin February 2010 – felixkunze.com
[...] It’s all a bit of photo fun after the more serious (in comparison) work in Haiti. [...]
Feb 23, 2010 @ 3:15 am
Travel travel travel – felixkunze.com
[...] I’m putting aside commercial work and other commitments to embark on a second photographic trip to Haiti. I will be working on several projects, this time in a more structured fashion. I’ll be out there with Help For Orphans International as well as working with some other projects – more on that after the fact. I know that I will definitely be photographing about 100 more orphans in the same style I did on my last trip. [...]
Feb 27, 2010 @ 2:48 pm