Children of Rungwe
The Children of Rungwe is a project I have undertaken with Africa Bridge, a non-governmental organization in West Linn, Oregon, that works in the Rungwe District of Tanzania's Mbeya District.
Africa Bridge was founded by Barry Childs, a native of Tanzania, who returned to his country in the late 90's and decided to devote his life to improving living conditions for people of Southwestern Tanzania.
The organization strengthens families that provide care for vulnerable children, many of whom have been orphaned by AIDS. It does so by helping villagers who care for these children form and manage co-ops to increase their incomes. It has also built a clinic and provides a means for donors to directly support the education of youngsters by providing clothing and school supplies required by the Tanzanian government.
I am traveling to Tanzania to document the work of the organization, focusing on the children and families that it serves. The images will be used in the marketing efforts of Africa Bridge, on a website showing its work, and, we hope, in a high quality book that will be used for marketing and fundraising purposes.
You can follow the progress of the project on a blog devoted The Children of Rungwe.