Documentary Archives | Page 2 of 8

Walikale

by Crystal StaffordDocumentary, Landscapes, Life December 26, 2018April 26, 2019Comments are Disabled

I traveled to this little village in Nord Kivu to interview women who have survived sexual violence. The only way to get there was by UN helicopter because rebels have cut off access to the region. You would never know by looking at this photo that war has wreaked havoc on the area for decades. …

My Time as a Malaria Warrior

by Crystal StaffordDocumentary, Magic December 23, 2018April 26, 2019Comments are Disabled

I first moved to DRC for a job managing bed net distributions in the rural interior of the country. I was thrown into the fire with this, only out of grad school for ten days when I left. But somehow I managed to stay afloat and figure it (thank you Google) and a few weeks …

Sundays In Kananga

by Crystal StaffordDocumentary, Magic December 21, 2018April 26, 2019Comments are Disabled

There’s not a lot to do in little village towns like Kananga. I think that’s why people work six days a week instead of five. So I found myself a new hobby to occupy my time on my one day off in the village. I went out to the villages and rounded up the malnourished …

The Most Dangerous Thing I’ve Ever Done

by Crystal StaffordDocumentary, Landscapes, Life December 20, 2018October 9, 2026Comments are Disabled

“Isn’t it dangerous?” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked some variant of the above question. Especially while living and working in Congo, where decades of war and instability have wreaked havoc on millions. But worldwide, less than half a million people die from war and murder combined per year. Malaria? 429,000 …

La Maternité

by Crystal StaffordDocumentary, Magic December 19, 2018April 26, 2019Comments are Disabled

I knew I had found the best job in the whole world when my country director, Larry, walked into my office and told me he wanted me to go on a trip with him and three DFID folks to check out some of the work ASSP had been doing around the country. They had chartered …

Street Heart

by Crystal StaffordDocumentary November 9, 2018November 10, 2018Comments are Disabled

Our plane set down in Rio early yesterday morning. The skies were gray and a light rain kept us inside for most of the day. We didn’t mind. It was cozy and the feel of a new place was warm inside our hearts. Today we ventured out and learned that our new neighborhood was filled with street heart. The walls covered by the colorful imagination of Brazil. We love this place. Already.

I only had my phone today but from now on I will definitely be cruising the streets with my canon and collecting the street heart as I go.

Magic 313/365, Street Heart, Santa Teresa, Rio, November 9, 2018

Crystal Stafford, Democratic Republic of Congo

Save the Boys

by Crystal StaffordDocumentary October 31, 2018Comments are Disabled

There is a lot of focus on women and girls in my line of work and for good reason. We should definitely keep focusing on women and children. But we need more programs that focus on men and boys. Maybe even more than the women and girls because in Congo, the men often make the …

Maman Tshimbila’s Garden

by Crystal StaffordDocumentary October 29, 2018October 30, 2018Comments are Disabled

This awesome lady was such a pleasure to spend the day with. She was one of the bright stars our nutrition team found in Kalonda West and trained to be a community relay. Long before our program began she took her love of gardening into her community and taught her neighbors how to grow their own …

Read more “Maman Tshimbila’s Garden”

Construction Workers Everywhere

by Crystal StaffordDocumentary October 28, 2018October 30, 2018Comments are Disabled

Did you know that construction workers everywhere are all the same? I know that it’s not really PC to say such a thing these days, but seriously, for the most part, they are all the same. In Congo, in Costa Rica, in the US, construction workers will whistle and yell at any woman, and I …

To Fix a Flat

by Crystal StaffordDocumentary October 27, 2018October 30, 2018Comments are Disabled

In the United States, when you get a flat tire, it is quite possibly the worst possible thing that could happen to you. At least, that’s the way you often perceive it. But in Congo, flat tires happen so often that you just kind of let it roll off your back and you get out …