DR Congo

In 2007, I traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to shoot a short film for UNFPA on obstetric fistula and traumatic fistula.  The ED of UNFPA at that time - Thoraya  Obeid - was scheduled to make a special trip for International Women's Day.  In the Eastern part of the country, in a region called Kisangani, the UNFPA office, the local authorities and the community were planning a special celebration to welcome her.

Unfortunately, a few days before her expected arrival, fighting broke out in the capital of Kinshasa and an estimated 250 people were killed.  The staff at the UNFPA office in Kinshasa told me how they were forced to stay the weekend in the basement as the fighting was most serious where they were located.  Luckily for me,  I left for Kisangani the day before all this went down. 

Anyway, although Thoraya never made the celebration bc of security concerns, everyone else moved forward with the event.

Below are some photos of that as well as some of the fistula patients at the main hospital.  

Tanzania

These images are from a shoot I did near Lake Victoria and in Nairobi in Kenya. The shoot was for a film I was doing with AIDStar-One with USAID/PEPFAR on the use of male circumcision to help reduce men's risk for HIV infection (by 60%!! Read about it!)

I was here filmming the Luo community who traditionally do not circumcise.  They have nearly twice the number of new HIV infections per year than the rest of Kenya.  MC advocates worked closely with the Luo Community of Elders to ensure they garnered support from the community.  

Most of these shots are from an early morning shoot at Lake Victoria where fisherman were prepping to head out for the day.  Soooo beautiful!

Sierra Leone

North Williamsburg and Greenpoint BROOKLYN