Changing worlds with photography.

Capokolam, Sri Lanka - Photographer, Dominique Smith

I Need Your Help!

In August 2017 I am off to Sri Lanka where I will work with Photographers Without Borders “PWB” documenting classes and activities during Capokolam’s annual summer program. 

This summer, Capokolam, a UK non-profit currently working in Sri Lanka, which provides education for the public benefit of persons under 25, particularly but not exclusively females, will focus on children from impoverished communities (Batticaloa, Udupissellawa-Nuwara Eliya, Suthanthirapiram-Mullaitivu, Jeyapuram-The Vanni, and Kudathanai-Oori). 

These children have endured the combined horrors of natural disaster and civil war, and struggle with poverty, limited education, and a lack of psycho-social support. They will partake in a full-time program of Capoeira, English, traditional & creative arts, dance, sports and leadership activities.

Sri Lanka is a small island nation, off the southeastern coast of India, plagued by natural disasters (2005 tsunami) and as recently as May 2017, the worst flooding to occur in Sri Lanka in 14 years affected over 557,000 people. More than 80,000 were displaced, 177 dead and 109 missing. Sri Lanka just marked 8 years since the end of a bloody civil war after more than a quarter-century of violence. Families are still looking for missing relatives, battling to recuperate property and many remain in poverty, without education or jobs.

Who am I?

Someone who cannot sit still, likes to travels, loves cultural immersion and meeting people.

Upon retirement, in search of something meaningful to do, I looked for non-profit organizations where I could volunteer and offer my skills in finance or photography. Since then I have had the pleasure of working or volunteering with All Hands Volunteers, a US 503c disaster response NGO, Emmaus in France, Architettura Senza Frontiere in Italy, GOALS Haiti, and the Interagency Committee for Children and Families in Bermuda. This work has taken me to places and events I never imagined – the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, 2011 Sendong floods in Cagayan de Oro, 2012 hurricane Sandy in New York, 2013 super typhoon Haiyan and 2013 Bohol earthquake in the Philippines where I saw the devastation and the toll a natural disaster can take on people’s lives.

http://www.dominiquephotographer.com/

Donors like you have helped photographers fundraise 100% of project-related costs since 2014!

Every year, our photographers and videographers donate hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of their time to document the work of grassroots initiatives that are making a real change in this world where it is most needed. By capturing, honouring and witnessing humanity at its best, we are not only inspiring many, but we are forging new narratives of what is and what is possible. 

You can help by supporting our photographers and videographers (See the side bar to the right to see fundraisers for our most recent recruits).

Each of our official photographers/videographers is assigned a GroupRev fundraising page by PWB upon acceptance. These pages are a privilege we offer that are intended to make our programs accessible to all and enable our volunteer photographers/videographers to raise their program fees and subsidize or cover these necessary project-related expenses:

• Airfare
• Visa's
• Vaccinations
• Health Insurance
• Travel Insurance

The following expenses are the sole responsibility of the photographer/videographer:

• Privately arranged travel / Equipment & Equipment Insurance / Software / Extra Baggage Fees / Donation perks / Clothing / Postage/Postcard / Prints / Etc.

Photographers Without Borders® (PWB) envisions a world where we all put ourselves in each others' shoes and work together. Our mission is to inform and inspire positive change by visually communicating the ways that grassroots initiatives are addressing problems in their communities. PWB is registered as a charity in the United States with 501(c)(3) status and is registered as a not-for-profit organization in Canada. All donations are calculated in US Dollars and are tax-deductible for Americans and Canadians with US income.

PWB is not responsible for any donations made outside of these pages.

Any overage amounts raised on GroupRev will be donated with the photographers direction, 100% to the Organization, 100% to PWB or split 50/50, between the photographer's/videographer's assigned cause and PWB, which is also a volunteer-run organization.

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All donations are calculated in US Dollars and are tax-deductible for Americans and Canadians with US income.