On the main road between Nairobiand the port city of Mombasa, is the town of Makindu – population 15,000. The economy relies on scarcely more than business from trucksferrying goods toand from the port.Makindu is hot, flat, and exceptionally arid.Seasonal rains, meager in the best of times,have failed completely this year.Crops planted last October, wither in the red soil.Corn should be shoulder high, but stands barely half a meter.Too dry to flower, it won’t produce food this season.
Homestead in Makindu, Kenya. Corn Planted in October Withers in Field.
AIDS and other diseases have taken a toll on the local population, leaving behind hundreds of orphaned children – some taken in by relatives or friends, some left to fend for themselves.Eleven years ago the Makindu Children’s Center (MCC) was founded to provide food, health care and other support to these children.Today the center assists over400 orphans, and indirectly helps hundreds more.
Graduate from Makindu Childrens Center with New Born Child
Guardian of Twin Girls Served by Makindu Childrens Center
I arrived in Makindu on the afternoon of January 4th.For the next 3 days I’ll be photographing and reporting on the work of MCC.After that it’s on to Rwanda for three weeks.The following photos are from an afternoon walk in the area of the center.
All photography copyright 2009 Adam Bacher. Absolutely no usage permitted without prior permission.
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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Beautiful work, Adam. It is truly inspiring to see what you are doing for these people!
Peace,
Naomi