The kids.

This is a country of contradictions.    There is love and anger, desperation and excess, friendliness and hostility.

There’s a great divide between rich and poor here.  My skin is getting thicker at receiving blank stares or angry looks at my attempts to connect, but I’m also getting more and more smiles back the longer I’m here.

I’m having trouble photographing people on the street, but in the orphanage, the trouble is getting the kids to concentrate on what they’re doing, instead of clambouring all over me to see the camera, to be in front of it.

I’ve had so many little fingers all over it they managed to change a few settings I couldn’t undo so had to do a complete re-set of everything.

The workshops are going really well.  These are images of the kids, the first few days in the orphanage.

Daphne doing Nadia’s hair…

Islan having a wee tantrum. She has such attitude and is the most amazing dancer. I had to put the camera down the first time I shot her dancing because I was laughing so much. She struts about, all hips, then shakes her finger at you.

One of Nathan’s music workshops under the bananas.  It’s too hot to work inside.

Going to work in the back of a taptap

Nadia in the kitchen

The kids have a handful of toys they share

I’m actually finishing this post on the morning of out last day.  In a week I’ve become very attached to the kids living here, and it’s going to be very hard to leave them tonight…

Of course FunForLife is training local musicians & dancers in the workshops to keep spreading the love when we leave.

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