We traveled to Cambodia to create two films that highlight organizations taking a unique approach to end violence against women. This film about the Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity is part of a series I am producing for the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. Even though the subject matter is very difficult, the survivors of acid violence and the organization helping them are very inspiring.
The second organization, Youth Star is successfully addressing domestic violence in remote communities across Cambodia. They train college graduates to go into the field for a year to work with the communities’ youth to effect social change. This program really excited me because it had so much in common with Stirring the Fire.
Going to Cambodia with Phil was a dream come true. It combined everything I’m passionate about into one trip: meeting survivors and documenting their stories as well as the work being done on the ground by the NGOs in order to bring recognition of their work and awareness of the issue to a larger audience. Several things about this trip made it unique for me. I was there to write and blog, using a skill that I love, but don’t usually exercise outside of the parameters of “hobby”. Doing so in this context brought both validity as a writer and confirmation that writing about people’s stories to raise awareness and activism is something I will continue to do. Phil is an inspiration to work with, bringing endless energy to the tasks at hand. Despite any challenges that arose on the trip he always kept an upbeat attitude.
My experience as an intern in Cambodia was something that deeply touched me, the things I saw and felt there are almost indescribable. Two things greatly touched me; the stark difference of the inhumanity of man, what one human being can do to another verse the love and service of volunteers to better the lives of the CASC survivors. Having the opportunity to be in the field with Phil and document these stories was such an amazing experience. From day one we hit the ground running, everything was hands-on, this I’ve come to find is very rare in an internship experience. Phil is an amazing mentor and I learned so much from him, he is more then willing to share his vast knowledge and help in any way possible. I learned how to document a compelling story, interact and gain trust with complete strangers, and realized that just one person truly can make a difference. I couldn’t have asked for a better internship, and I will forever cherish my experience with Phil in Cambodia.
Guatemala’s civil war lasted 30 years and claimed over 200,000 lives. Rape and violence against women and girls was a tactic of the war. Violence became normalized in the culture and remains a legacy of the conflict. I was asked by the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women to document a program that addressed VAW in Guatemala. The program, Abriendo Oportunidades, uses technology in creative and exciting ways to change attitudes around abuse and violence against women and girls.
During my internship with Stirring the Fire we documented the early efforts of many brave people in the indigenous communities of Guatemala who are reaching inside themselves and identifying and exposing the roots of violence against women in their country. We recorded first-hand stories of incredible, frequent and repeated suffering. But, perhaps more importantly, we witnessed the awakening and transformation of so many young women who are changing their future now—while also blazing a trail of confidence, self-determination and success for other women. My experience in Guatemala during that short trip left an indelible mark on me, along with inspiring images of hope, strength and perseverance. Today, these young women, their courage and progress remain on my mind. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to visit this country and meet these agents of change while pursuing my photojournalistic dreams with the Stirring the Fire team in hopes of creating even just a spark that will further impact their lives. It was an experience I will never forget!
Traveling to Guatemala was a great and very rewarding experience. I was a recent college graduate at the time and was eager to travel and work on a film production. Usually as an intern you’re not given as much opportunity to really be hands on however Phil encouraged us to participate as much as possible. Thanks to his encouragement, I was able to practice the role as the interviewer. This was challenging but it was an amazing experience. Never before did I think I would have the opportunity to conduct interviews in Spanish and although the subject of each interview was serious and often very sad, that allowed me to connect with each girl intern from Abriendo Oportunidades. It was incredible to see the work and progress that Abriendo Oportunidades is doing in Guatemala to help end violence against indigenous women and I feel very fortunate to have been able to collaborate with a great group of people on this project.
