I love photos like this, a true representation of the world right now. A healthy baby, bright-eyed and vibrant… and in this case a little confused. It is true, child mortality is high in Congo compared to most of the rest of the world. In 2016 the rate was 94 deaths per 1000 live births compared to …
“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 …
It looks like he’s digging a grave right? He isn’t. He is digging a latrine. I took this photo last year while we were building a latrine out of local materials in Kawadje, a village just outside of Gbadolite, Nord Ubangi in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Magic 241/365, Not a Grave Digger, DRC, 2017
This is one of my all-time favorite photos of Antonio and his best friend, Jim, at the opening of ASSP’s first health center, Mamu Wetu. This health center was special because Antonio got to build much of it with his own hands. Jim was his logistician throughout the building of this and many others in …
I am turning 40 in just one week and I am kind of freaking out. Today when I was in yoga I made strength and vitality my intention. This is what I want for my 40th birthday. I want to be strong again. And I had the thought “I want to get back to myself.” …
The truth is, the world is getting better. It is rare to find a child that looks like this, even in Congo. Organizations like mine, IMA, have done a really good job of eliminating problems like malnutrition in the world’s poorest place. The problem is, it DOES still exist. And so we must continue on …
Congo is a very male-centric society. The men think they run the place, but they don’t. It’s ladies like these that make the world go round in Congo (and beyond). These ladies, probably the wives of the man of the house, spend their entire day growing food, picking food, preparing food, serving food, cleaning up and …
This is a photo I took during a movie night campaign we did with Girl Rising to raise awareness of the importance of educating girls in male-dominated societies such as Congo. It amazes me that still to this day girls are not appreciated for the smart, caring, all-powerful beings that they are. During my pregnancy, I …
On our long drive from San Jose to Nosara we listened to the audio version of the book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson. Something I heard in the book has really been hitting home for me this week. The book was talking about …
No matter how small the village in Congo, there is always a church. This particular church was in Bosobolo, a small village in Nord Ubangi province. I was there to manage our Girl Rising campaign for which we showed the movie in villages across four provinces to promote girl’s education. People work very hard in …