Photography For A Cause!

Many a times, we give our money to the less fortunate in society because we can, and mostly without an extra thought to it,  however how many of us are willing to sacrifice the time and effort as well as resources to a noble cause? This in mind without the press or sponsors in sight to capture and later share the selfless act.

Day With Them Invitation Poster

About a month or so ago around Easter, I happened to be invited to be part of a group of photographers whose hearts were as warm as August, after a cold and rainy July. “Hi, we would like to invite you to a day with them activity on Saturday next week,” read part of the text. “We shall be spending time with street children sheltered at Kariowa Hall in Ngara. This is basically us going to hang out with kids as well as adults who roam the streets of Nairobi through the garbage in search of daily bread and they will teach us a few things too. As part of us (A Bunch Of Photographers- ABOP) giving back to the society in the little way we can.”

The plan

It was decided that each person contributes a certain amount of money to buy food and prepare other essentials. The group was to converge in the CBD (Central Business District aka City center) and proceed together to Ngara where the shelter is located.

Early Saturday Morning,

D-day was here, around 20 photography enthusiasts, both pros and amateurs turned up.

Some of the photographers who came out @Sponsor and a friend

I got to speak to Rey Matata, one of the organizers of this noble cause, and seek to find out exactly why any photographer in Nairobi or any other part of the country or the word would choose to spend their time this way other than chasing sunsets and posh city architecture.

Walking barefoot seems to be the norm

“We wanted to share our time with people who everyone else forgets and it is a great way for us as photographers to come together and spend time making someone else feel good about their day and themselves. It is also a good platform for us to experiment on any other kind of photography, be it portraiture or abstract just anything outside our niche.”

@Wamzy_liilo made a new friend. The group has a dedicated tag on Instagram, #DayWithThem where the day’s events are documented and shared to other photographers.

Some of the photographers present were:

                                                                  Dennis (Sponsor)

                                                                  Jodie aka TheBongolese

                                                                  Solo @Roots of Afrika

                                                                  Sannie @SannieSanford

                                                                  Anthony Antownee

                                                                  Nimu Nimuisabel

                                                                  Zollo @Zollz13

                                                                  Adam (@adamshutter) among others.

You could check out their Instagram accounts and see that indeed a good heart and talent makes THEM outstanding works of art

.

“Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life’s deepest joy: true fulfillment.”

-Tony Robbins

The bridge they call home

If you ask me, the amount that was contributed for this day cannot stand a chance being compared to how much satisfaction was seen on these kids’ faces knowing that they have afforded a meal and some company that day.

 In the famous words of Dalai Lama XIV , ”Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”

A day well spent

PS: Leave a comment below if you would like to tag along next time as we make photography a more noble cause. Also, follow @SeeKenya on twitter and Instagram for more events and community service.