I first came across the work of Samantha Oulavong when I was researching another topic for the blog. Her story inspired me to think about whether I was using my creative talents to bless the lives of people in need. A few years ago, Samantha was an ordinary educator in Chicago with an interest in photography. Then she saw a movie and had a chance encounter in a Milan airport that changed the trajectory of her life. I’ll let Samantha tell you her story:
The movie “Born Into Brothels” in which photographer Zana Brinski transformed the lives of the children of Calcutta through photography made a huge impression on me. I wasn’t sure what I was to do with that stirring, though. Later, while waiting for a flight in the Milan airport, I met a director of a non-profit organization who works with children in Nicaragua. I told her we should keep in touch.
Two years later, I won a grant from Best Buy to purchase photography equipment to teach my middle school students. “Born into Brothels” kept haunting me. I knew I had to do something. I contacted the lady I met in Milan and shared that I would love to do a photography workshop with her children. After months of planning, I was on my way to Nicaragua. I brought eight digital point and shoot cameras with me.
Students from Samantha's photography workshop in Nicaragua
The organization received donated computers and laptops, so I was able to teach the children how to edit their photos using Picasa, downloaded from Google’s website. I posted their work on Flickr. Through critiques and positive reinforcement, the children went from being passive listeners to active learners. They were eager to express their thoughts about their work. It was exciting to see them come out of their shells and verbally express themselves.
From there, I developed a plan to work with non-profit organizations that serve marginalized children. My job would be to lead photography workshops with their children and document organizations’ work to help them raise funds. I created a non-profit organization called LOVE (Lens Of Vision and Expression)
The next year, I returned to Nicaragua to lead a workshop with the children living in La Chureca, Managua’s landfill. I was horrified at the filth surrounding these families. The week that I spent with my students from La Chureca , however, convinced me that this was what I was meant to do. The pride and confidence displayed by these children through my praises and critique of their work made my physical discomfort meaningless. They were able to share their thoughts through photography and it made them feel significant — not just children from the dump, but young photographers creating art with a purpose.
Of all the children, I believe Wilfredo, a glue sniffer, had the hardest life. The director of the organization warned me that children who sniff glue are not reliable. I took a chance on Wilfredo and the images he captured were as raw as they come. Due to the hardship of his life, his images had more maturity compared to the other students’ photography.
A few days later, I got an email from a gallery owner in Nicaragua who had been following my blog. He told me he would like to display the students’ work at the cultural center in Granada, Nicaragua, to help LOVE raise funds to help these children.
At the exhibit, the most surprising response was from my student Flora. She was shocked to see all the people coming to see her work on display. Tears streamed down her face.
Phors, a 12-year-old living in a Cambodian slum, shot this photo. She dreams of becoming a doctor.
A week after the exhibition, I flew to Cambodia to work with a non-profit organization that serves children affected by the AIDS/HIV virus. Kosal, one student, had to drop out of school in seventh grade to work as a parking attendant to support his family. In my photography workshop, he proved to be unbelievably talented. I showed him the work of several famous photographers including Dith Pran, a fellow Cambodian.
Kosal worked hard to learn from their work and tell stories about his life through photography. It is heartbreaking that Kosal’s talent would have gone unnoticed if he was never given the opportunity. Through the help of a Flickr contact, who contacted John Vink of Magnum Photo, Kosal was able to attend a photography workshop for photojournalists at the National AIDS Conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Through some contacts, I arranged for a large non-profit to sponsor an exhibition of the children’s photography and got press coverage from Voice of America Cambodia.
After my trips to Nicaragua and Cambodia, I led similar workshops at an orphanage in Haiti and with impoverished children in Thailand.
Currently, I’m developing my business, Samantha Photography, to finance future trips. I’m also focusing my energy on selling the children’s photographs to raise money to support the children. For example, I’m selling the prints of one student, Farah, who is 16 years old and in need of bus fare money so she can attend school outside of the landfill. That’s what my work with LOVE is all about – giving these children a way to finance their dreams through their own creativity.
If you work with a non-profit organization that has benefited from Samantha’s photography workshops, tell us about it. Click on the Comments section to share your story.
Samantha sells photos such as this from her student photography workshops to provide money to help fund opportunities for impoverished children.
Yangtze River. “Managing these high-end tours was a 180 degree turn from working at the university and integrating with the community,” Lee said. “I was earning US $120 a month teaching English, which was double the local salary, yet customers on the riverboat tours were ordering $120 bottles of wine. Eventually, I would merge these two experiences when I created my business.”
