One of my photos from my trip to Ghana with Oxfam America is featured towards the end of this interesting publication Foreign Aid 101: A Quick and easy guide to understanding US foreign aid
NGO photography
Oxfam Canada; Annual Report Cover Photo
One of my photos from my 2012 trip to Haiti with Oxfam is featured as the cover shot of the Oxfam Canada Annual Report 2013:
2013: My year in photos
2013 was a busy year for me. I was based in New York City for the year, with photographic assignments and travel taking me to Thailand, India, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Haiti, UK, Australia & New Zealand. I was involved in many exhibitions; with solo shows in New York City and Australia, and group shows at various galleries in New York, and at Art Basel in Miami. I would like to share a few shots from the year:
© Anna Fawcus 'In the Corner', Rawai, Thailand, 2013 © Anna Fawcus Con Artist, LES, New York, USA 2013© Anna Fawcus / Oxfam America Artibonite, Haiti, 2013 © Anna Fawcus / SPANA Zimbabwe, 2013 © Anna Fawcus Cock Fight, Rawai, Thailand, 2013 © Anna Fawcus Chiang Mai, Thailand, 2013 © Anna Fawcus / Barefoot Initiative Afar region, Ethiopia, 2013
© Anna Fawcus / Barefoot Initiative Afar, Ethiopia, 2013
For me, 2014 has begun in New Zealand, with plans to visit Vanuatu next week, before returning to New York. I then plan to move to Madrid, and be based there for the year. Thanks for your support in 2013 and I look forward to sharing photos and stories with you over the coming year.
Oxfam America; Growing Rice in Haiti and Vietnam
Here's an Oxfam America story about Lessons learned: growing rice in Haiti and Vietnam from my most recent assignment in Haiti with writer Kevin Ferguson:
Rice Farmers in Haiti 2013; Assignment with Oxfam America
I have just returned from a week in the Artibonite region of Haiti where I have been working with Oxfam America to document the rice industry, from the farmers in the fields, through to the mills and markets and even big companies who are buying up large quantities of rice. We spoke with people about all aspects of Haitian rice growing, as well as the USA rice imports and the effect that this has on the local marketplace. I travelled with Kevin Ferguson who will tell the stories of the people we met on this journey, incorporating my photography and video. Keep an eye on this blog for links through to upcoming Oxfam America blog posts, articles and documentary work over the coming weeks.
© AnnaFawcus/Oxfam America Rice Farming in Artibonite, Haiti 2013© AnnaFawcus/Oxfam America Rice Farming in Artibonite, Haiti 2013
© AnnaFawcus/Oxfam America Rice Farming in Artibonite, Haiti 2013
© AnnaFawcus/Oxfam America Rice Farming in Artibonite, Haiti 2013
© AnnaFawcus/Oxfam America Rice Farming in Artibonite, Haiti 2013
Working in Zimbabwe with SPANA
I recently spent a week in Zimbabwe working with SPANA. SPANA (the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad) is a charity for the working animals of the world, with clinics across Africa and the Middle East that treat hundreds of thousands of donkeys, horses, mules, camels and livestock every year. I travelled with the local SPANA mobile veterinary clinc, to the Manicaland Province (some 500km away from Harare), where we camped without luxuries such as electricity. This is what Erick and Andy (the two SPANA veterinarians who I was with) do for at least 2 weeks every month, leaving their families, friends and comforts of home behind so that they can travel to the areas of the country where they are most needed. SPANA provides free veterinary clinics for everyone in these remote communities who wants to come. In many cases, these people would otherwise be very unlikely to have access to this kind of help for their animals. The SPANA staff worked with local VEA's to teach them how to treat the animals, so that they are able to provide assistance in between the mobile clinics visits.
I felt privileged to be involved in documenting the important work that SPANA, and their local partner organizations are doing in Zimbabwe, and wanted to share of few of the photos from the trip:
© Anna Fawcus / SPANA Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe , 2013 © Anna Fawcus / SPANA Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe , 2013 © Anna Fawcus / SPANA Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe , 2013 © Anna Fawcus / SPANA Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe , 2013 © Anna Fawcus / SPANA Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe , 2013 © Anna Fawcus / SPANA Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe , 2013
Case studies, stories and more detailed info from the trip will be published over the coming months through the SPANA website, magazine, blog and other media outlets. I will share links on this blog to where the stories end up. For more information on SPANA and their work, have a look at their website.
Photography Training Workshop with The Brooke in London
I have recently been giving photographic training workshops for a few non-profit organizations, who I normally shoot for. This week I've been in London, and one of the workshops I have been giving over the past few days was with The Brooke. The workshops cover the basics in photography, from teaching local staff about camera settings through to composition and lighting techniques, combined with story-telling and lessons on how to construct case studies. Whilst professional photography is great, it is simply not possible all the time, especially in the field in remote locations where expense and accessibility can be obstacles with having a professional there as often as photography is needed. The Brooke recognize that it is important for their staff in the field to be able to document the day-to-day projects and case studies, and through this training, we work together to better equip them to present compelling photographs of the incredibly important work that the Brooke team are doing around the world. The Brooke is an international animal welfare organisation committed to improving the lives of working horses, donkeys, mules and their owners. To read more about the work that they do, or to view some of the photographs I have taken with them in the past, check out their website.
Photography Training Workshop in London with SPANA
On this trip to London, I have been involved with presenting a couple of photographic training workshops for NGO's who I shoot for. I was in at the SPANA office this week, teaching the staff the basics of photography, from settings through to composition and lighting techniques. Whilst professional photography has its place, it is simply not practical or possible all the time for any non-profit organization. This is why we have been working together to train their staff for the day-to-day documentation of the incredible work they do across the world. SPANA (the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad) is the charity for the working animals of the world. To learn more about the work that they do, check out their website.
Oxfam America Video: In Ghana, a call for transparency
This video (featuring some of my photographs) tackles the question of financial transparency in Ghana. Boakye Dankwa Boadi, a representative of a prominent human rights and environmental organization in Ghana asks what exactly oil companies in Ghana are trying to hide and calls for transparency. He calls on the American Petroleum Institute to drop its court case to block the payment transparency provisions in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
"The efforts of Mr. Boadi and others in Ghana to promote transparency and responsible governance are under threat. He sees legislation like Dodd-Frank as a measure that will help them check the money coming in to the government with payments reported by the companies themselves. He says this will help Ghana “cross the path of poverty” to becoming a more developed nation." - Chris Hufstader
Link to Oxfam America blog post by Chris Hufstader
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3BSPqJkwdI&feature=player_embedded&noredirect=1
To add your voice to the Oxfam America petition calling for transparency:http://www.oxfamamerica.org/big-oil
Oxfam Ireland Article: Haiti: three earthquake commemorations, three steps in reconstruction
A recent article on the Oxfam Ireland website features some of the photos that I took recently on assignment in Haiti, for the 3 year commemoration of the earthquake:
Oxfam America: Photo of the Week from Ghana
Oxfam America's photo of the week is a blog post by Chris Hufstader: Mining money funds new market in Ghana. Citizens are watching where oil and mining revenues go in Ghana — will the money fight poverty? This is one of the photographs from my recent trip to Ghana with Chris and the Oxfam America team.
Oxfam America Article: With grease and wrenches, Haitian women upend stereotypes
The website One shared an Oxfam America blog post by Elizabeth Stevens, with photographs from my recent trip to Haiti:
Here's the link to the original blog post on the Oxfam America First Person Blog:
Oxfam America Photo of the week: Artibonite Valley, Haiti
The Oxfam America Photo of the Week is one of the photos that I took recently in Haiti. It is accompanied with a blog post by Coco McCabe: In Haiti, a valley of hope. Today, more than 80 percent of the rice Haitians eat is imported. But through the efforts of 5,000 farmers in the lower valley, that could begin to change.
http://firstperson.oxfamamerica.org/2013/01/11/photo-of-the-week-in-haiti-a-valley-of-hope/
The Brooke News Winter 2012/13
Some of my photographs from India and Nepal are featured in the Brooke News Magazine Winter 2012/13:
Oxfam America Article: Haiti's women farmers: "We will rise again"
There is a new article on the Oxfam America First Person Blog, by Elizabeth Stevens, from our recent trip to Haiti: Haiti's women farmers: "We will rise again" - Small loans on fair terms alter the landscape of women’s lives
Oxfam America Article: For Haiti's rice farmers, much depends on the free flow of water
There is a new article by Elizabeth Stevens with photos and stories from our recent trip to Haiti. For Haiti's rice farmers, much depends on the free flow of water: In the rice-growing Artibonite Valley, Oxfam and partners are helping restore a lifeline: irrigation.
See the article on Oxfam America's First Person Blog:
Or you can view the re-post of it on the HaitianTruth.org website:
Or you can read the same article on the Before It's News Website:
Oxfam America Article: Elections and Oil: Ghana’s Choice
A new blog post from Oxfam America (with photography from my recent trip to Ghana) talks about the need for Ghana’s next government to focus on completing the job of constructing a transparent and accountable system for managing the oil and gas sector.
Livelihood program and WASH campaign; working with Oxfam in Haiti
On my recent trip to Haiti, working with Oxfam America, I spent time working on two assignments. The first assignment in Artibonite is detailed in my previous blog post. The second assignment was with Coco McCabe documenting communities a couple of hours out of Port-Au-Prince. We visited beneficiaries of livelihood programs put in place to assist the local community with establishing themselves in small business. We also visited sites which are a part of the WASH campaign, which has been working to improve the quality of water and decrease the spread of cholera. Here are a few photographs of the programs that we visited:
© Anna Fawcus / Oxfam Livelihood Program in Haiti - Cash Grant Project to enable small business
© Anna Fawcus / Oxfam Livelihood Program in Haiti - Cash Grant Project to enable small business
© Anna Fawcus / Oxfam Livelihood Program in Haiti - Cash Grant Project to assist dairy farmers
© Anna Fawcus / Oxfam Livelihood Program in Haiti - Cash Grant Project to assist dairy farmers
© Anna Fawcus / Oxfam WASH Program in Haiti
All photographs ©AnnaFawcus/Oxfam 2012
Rice Farmers in Haiti: working with Oxfam America
I recently spent a couple of weeks in November 2012 working on two photographic assignments with Oxfam America in Haiti. The first assignment was with Elizabeth Stevens in Artibonite, documenting rice farmers and many water based programs implemented by Oxfam America to enable the 'flow of water' and thus the success of farmers in the region. Here are a few photos of the rice harvest:
© Anna Fawcus / Oxfam America 2012 Rice Farming in Artibonite, Haiti - Close up of rice plant
© Anna Fawcus / Oxfam America 2012 Rice Farming in Artibonite, Haiti - Experimental Rice Plots
© Anna Fawcus / Oxfam America 2012 Rice Farming in Artibonite, Haiti - Rice harvest © Anna Fawcus / Oxfam America 2012 Rice Farming in Artibonite, Haiti - Close up of rice laid out to dry
All photographs ©AnnaFawcus/Oxfam 2012
Here are a some links to more photos from this trip to Haiti in blog posts by Oxfam America journalist, Elizabeth Stevens:
http://firstperson.oxfamamerica.org/2013/01/02/haitis-women-farmers-we-will-rise-again/
http://firstperson.oxfamamerica.org/2012/12/28/easing-poverty-in-haiti-with-the-free-flow-of-water/
Oxfam America Article: Ghana riding transparency roller-coaster
This recently published article by Chris Hufstader of Oxfam America tells one of the stories that I photographed earlier this year whilst I was in Ghana. The article talks about transparency of resource revenues in Ghana, so that citizens can see where their national wealth goes.