Regardless of the project that Sarah and I are working on, we always seem to come home with the feeling that we could have done more, but this was not a commercial shoot or a reality show. We did not take out permits to stop traffic or hire actors to reenact true life stories. This was life in progress in at an orphanage in Nairobi and for a few days I was able to experience a small part of it.
The last few days were spent interviewing some of the kids about the things they like and what they wanted to be when they grow up. Some wanted to be teachers, others doctors and a handful wanted to drive or repair cars. "Automobile" is a beautiful word when spoken in Kenyan English by an 8 year old.
The kids loved seeing themselves on the video camera's monitor and they were even more excited when I let them look through the camera and film each other. After a short lesson, ten potential filmmakers were filming each other singing songs and making faces for the camera, no differently than your kid would be doing, here in the states.
The things that would normally make me anxious on the return flight home, seemed quite trivial compared to the living conditions I had just witnessed and I felt fortunate to be aboard a jet fly home.
I've said this before, yet it rings even truer today. I often don't feel the impact of where I've been until I return home. Then, surrounded by all my stuff in the comfort of my own home it hits hard.
I have gone on about the gear I've had the opportunity to use for this project but the bottom line is that I hope the resulting images will help to create positive and effective awareness for the kids of Rehema Home, because it is only through the love and kindness of others that these children have survived.
Their faces say much more than my words.
www.duckyou.com
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