Changing the world through storytelling

Help me fundraise for The Ripple Effect project in Guatemala

Every year Photographers Without Borders (PWB) associates donate their time to document the valuable work of its community partner organisations (grassroots NGOs, charities, community initiatives), and help draw attention to important issues affecting communities around the world.

In February 2020 I will be spending 2 weeks as a PWB Associate and volunteer in the western highlands of Guatemala working with The Ripple Effect (TRE) organisation and the Ixil people as a visual storyteller.  

The Ixil (Mayan) culture is as rich and beautiful as the mountains in which they live - yet there is extreme poverty. Around 49% of children in Guatemala are chronically malnourished, the 4th highest rate in the world. Among the indigenous communities the rate is closer to 70%. Despite economic improvements across Guatemala as a whole, according to a recent World Bank report, the situation for the indigenous community is getting worse - and for a community that is already vulnerable, the impact of natural disasters, civil war and climate change could be catastrophic.

TRE is working with the Ixil community to find sustainable solutions to some of the most serious problems - access to clean water, latrines, nutrition. 

I will be there to help capture some of these stories, and spread the message as far and wide as I can in order to generate further support. 

Funds raised will directly benefit the TRE project and the community they support in Guatemala, and also the wider PWB Programme (on a 50/50 basis). I will be covering my own travel, accommodation and admin costs.

PWB is a community of storytellers uniting to support community partners on volunteer assignments through the PWB Program. Their mission is to make storytelling more accessible for communities who are contributing to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and UNDRIP. PWB is registered as a charity in the United States with 501(c)(3) status and as a not-for-profit organisation in Canada. Images above courtesy of Jeison Higuita, Lara Natalia, Theodore Moore, Ronald Cuyan, Jimmy Baum, Ale Vargas and Perry Grone (unsplash.com).

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