A few weeks ago, Fujifilm and Samburu Girls Foundation (SGF) partnered with photographer Stephanie Sinclair’s nonprofit organisation, Too Young to Wed, to provide a photography workshop for ten girls between the ages of 11 and 14, all of who had escaped child marriage. The organisation’s goal is to:
amplify their courageous voices and build a global community dedicated to ending child, early and forced marriage and supporting positive change for these girls.
Along with organising the Adolescent Girls Photography Workshop, Fujifilm’s role was to provide X30 cameras for each of the girls to use. By instructing the girls how to use a camera and the techniques involved in creating a good photograph, the workshop leaders were also able to teach girl empowerment. To quote the article:
…the workshop affirmed the value of their voices and their stories – stories that many of the girls had never told.
During the portrait session, for example, the girls were paired off and encouraged to share their stories with each other. For many of them, this was the first time they had ever shared their story with another person.
At the end of the workshop, an exhibition was held where many of the girls shared their photographs and stories with an audience of 70 people. It was attended by the chiefs of the girls’ villages and their families. An exhibition was also held at the Family of Women Film Festival in Sun Valley, Idaho on February 26th 2016.
You can read the full article on the National Geographic website here!
