Arthritis affects people worldwide - elders in Rwanda as well as the U.S.
Arthritis affects people worldwide – elders in Rwanda as well as the U.S.
For the next three weeks I’ll be staying with my good friend Emmanuel, in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. The oldest in his family, Emmanuel willingly cares for his younger brothers and sisters, some nieces and nephews, and two adopted children. His friends joke that his home is really a youth hostel.
This week Emmanuel’s mother is in from Rwanda’s eastern province to receive treatment for her arthritis. Unlike the United States, Rwanda has universal health care coverage. Costs are minimal, but access to medicine is limited. Unlike Rwanda, the United States has an abundance of medicine, to treat aliments real and conjured (seen and pharmaceutical commercials recently?). However, 25% of our population isn’t covered by health insurance and costs are skyrocketing.
Copyright 2009 Adam Bacher. Absolutely no usage without prior authorization.
When your vision becomes a reality, how will you tell your story?
I’m a commercial photographer and photojournalist based in Portland, Oregon, since 1991. I specialize in commercial location photography for businesses. The majority of this work is for architectural, corporate, editorial, and public relations clients, and appears in a variety of print and electronic media. You can view samples online at: www.adambacher.com.
Since 2007 I’ve been taking a month each year to devote my time towards humanitarian missions.
Three trips have taken me to Rwanda, for a project documenting the countries recovery from the genocide in 1994, which claimed the lives of one-million people in the course of 100 days. Images and stories from the places I visited are featured on my blog site at: www.bachersblog.com.
This November, I’m going to Haiti for 4 weeks, to help two non-profits working tirelessly to save and rebuild lives following the earthquake in 2010. As well as donating my still and video images, I plan to create a traveling print exhibit, and a multi-media educational presentation to build awareness and remind us of Haiti's needs. If you’re interested in project please see this link: http://igg.me/p/44329?a=249927&i=shlk
My commercial work makes this humanitarian effort possible. I exhibit and speak nationally, offering a provocative visual and journalistic insight into contemporary Rwanda and the recovery, reconciliation, and reconstruction of the of the country. This message of hope, peace, and diversity, has been enthusiastically received at peace conferences, corporate gatherings, and in public schools.
Specialties
All aspects of location photography including: Architectural, Corporate, Editorial, People, Public Relations, Travel and Photojournalism.
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oh I hope the treatment is doing well for her!