Through the weeks we created various exercises and field trips to help expand their vision of what it meant to communicate through photography. In explaining why they had taken a certain shot at a certain angle, the students began sharing their feelings and thoughts. The young students used the photography lessons as a mode of self expression and also developed critical thinking skills--this artistic and emotional development is so important to the discovery of their identities and their role as innovators, social reformers, and leaders.
For the first couple of weeks while I got to know the students at the school I was constantly reminded of children from Kisumu. Children regardless of circumstances often need the same things: a sense of community, a sense of being understood, someone to listen. When asked to photograph their school, their neighbourhood, city, family, and selves the children often brought back photos that were not only poignant but also a distinct record of the times that we live in.
For the first couple of weeks while I got to know the students at the school I was constantly reminded of children from Kisumu. Children regardless of circumstances often need the same things: a sense of community, a sense of being understood, someone to listen. When asked to photograph their school, their neighbourhood, city, family, and selves the children often brought back photos that were not only poignant but also a distinct record of the times that we live in. 
