A Photographic Look At Poverty

This picture is of 12 year old Ano and her sister, 2 year old Honrine. They're just two out of many who live in such terrible conditions due to the attacks of the LRA. This makes me sad, because Ano is a child, she should be smiling, laughing and having fun. But instead, that pleasure has taken away from her, and she has to grow up, very fast. 

A Red Cross worker covers the the body of Dieudonne Kulimbo who was shot and killed in the bush near Dungu in northeastern Congo, February 17, 2009. 

This photo makes me angry, because this person's life was ripped away from them, and it makes me sad to think about the family and maybe even young children they left behind. Why? This seems so wrong.

Fourteen-month-old Yabila Kubemboli, who is malnourished after his mother fled attacks on her village by Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels, awaits treatment at the hospital in the village of Dungu in northeastern Congo, February 20, 2009

This is heart wrenching. His mother was forced to leave him, or she didn't care enough to take him with her. It's terrible that this happened, but it also fills me with hope, because the caption says that he's awaiting treatment, which means that there is help out there, and for him, it's right around the corner. 

All tree photos were from here:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/02/portraits_from_the_congo.html

30 Days - Living on Minimum Wage

In GT, we watched a documentary from the 30 Days series where they explored living on minimum wage in the US. I was actually really surprised at how many people live like that today, and how hard it truly is to meet living expenses when all you earn is minimum wage. I feel like it was accurate in some parts, but not quite so accurate in others. There were actual people in it that have lived that way for such a long time, but at the same time, Morgan and Alex (the couple who decided to try this out) were starting out without debt, no children, and only did it for 30 days. A lot of people who live this lifestyle start with debt, and they just keep slipping further into the depths of it. They also found jobs right away, which most people don't. Overall, I learned a lot from watching this though. It got me to understand how common poverty is, even in our own towns and counties. It makes me sad to know that their are good, honest, people out there, living such harsh lives, while many not so honest and good people are out there, taking a metaphorical stroll down easy street, not having to lift a finger. It's not fair, and it seems so wrong to me. But maybe that's a good thing, maybe we need more people to feel this way, and maybe this feeling will give us the drive to right what's wrong and help those who are struggling.

Waste Land Documentary

In GT Seminar I, we watched a documentary titled Waste Land. It's an excellent film, although I did not get to watch all of it. From the small section that I was able to see, my opinion stayed the same throughout. The artist, Vik changed the lives of the people of Jardim Gramacho by giving them hope. After his project, many of them changed their lives for the better. Obviously, he gave them money, which was all the proceeds from their portraits. Personally, I think that the former example is the most significant. This film definitely made me think about how much garbage I produce, where it goes, and who has to deal with it. I'd like to be able to say that this will make me change how much garbage I produce, but I'm honestly not sure that I would go about and change. I hate saying that, but its true. However, I might be more prone to purchasing more recycled or recyclable products. In the way that Vik showed this part of society, we could also show things like what many deem as "ghettos", or society's attachment to technology. In the latter, he could specifically make it out of old electronics, etc. Overall, it was an interesting and greatly inspiring film.

Passion Project URL

The blog listed in my previous post is here:
http://ashley-the-dreamer.blogspot.com/