mic? check.

I finally bought an ElectroVoice RE50B. Omnidirectional, dynamic, and apparently (according to everyone I've talked to) a really good all-purpose mic. I might have to get another kind for backup and to handle the various situations in which I'll be recording, but you won't believe how much better I feel to have checked this off my list. Oh, and I tried the POGO printer and am so excited to use it in Malawi!

STORING AND SHARING DREAMS AND FEARS

This comment was emailed to me from a friend, Jennie, in response to ones made about ways to incorporate Flat Stanley into this work. Though she has a Google account, she wasn't able to post a comment. If anyone else runs into this problem, please let me know because I want to hear what you have to say. Thank you all for your ideas - I love them! Keep them coming.

Have a great time working on a great project.

Another idea re: Flat Stanley
Suppose the doll carried something into which the kids could put their dreams/wishes, fears as per Lill? Might make for interesting discussions.

And/or have them make boxes that would serve that purpose--perhaps a Chinese takeout box that would fold flat again for your return visit?

I'M LISTENING

For someone new to audio work, buying a microphone or two is confusing to say the least. Interviews will take place both inside and outside, with individuals and groups. I'll need to capture voice, music, and ambiance. I've asked a few people their opinions and will stop - soon. Each one contradicts the other, and with every conversation comes more conditions to consider. Any advice that will simplify my search is very welcome!

FLAT STANLEY

During a meeting with Bernard and Linda yesterday, I got some great feedback and creative suggestions. For example:

Could I incorporate Flat Stanley techniques in some way? If you don't know about it (I didn't) here's a link: http://www.flatstanley.com/ Basically, imagine if one of the Malawian children makes a paper doll, decorates it, and takes pictures with it as it accompanies her in her daily life. I bring the doll back with me and give it to a child at a Durham, NC school who does the same. Pictures are somehow exchanged, the doll somehow returned, and now there's a connection between them. I think that in the US, the main focus is on writing journals, but here it would be on photography as a way to document life. Obviously, this would require the utmost sensitivity (orphans, child headed households, poverty, children, illness, etc), but I love the simplicity of it and the opportunity for them to learn about and feel closer to one another.

How can I bring together photography and health/nutrition messages? Bernard and Linda explained that when vaccination visits have included a family photo, made into a basic calendar with return visits marked, completion rates have gone up. What is needed, and what role could documentation or interviews from this project play in addressing that need?

What might participants want to do with the photos? Some examples: have photo books made, hang photos, make simple scrapbooks. I'm not sure what significance the photos or other documentation might have - or not have! - for the participants, and will have to learn more about this when I'm there.

I bought a great little printer - Polaroid "POGO" - and will test it out. 2x3" instant photos, no ink required.

RADIO YAKO

Listen to Malawi's first internet radio station

www.radioyako.com

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to devastate social lattices, as families, communities, and an entire country must compensate for breakdowns in traditional structures.

It is a crisis that heavily affects children. At the end of 2007, an estimated 91,000 children in Malawi were living with HIV. In a general population of about 13.5 million, almost one million children are living without one or both parents due to the virus.

Every hour, eight people in Malawi die of AIDS. The country’s rate of HIV prevalence is among the highest in the world. It is the leading cause of death among adults, and is a major factor in the country’s low life expectancy of just 43 years. HIV/AIDS, poverty, and recent famine have created a heightened vulnerability to preventable diseases, food insecurity, low literacy, trauma, and violence.

With guidance from The Pendulum Project, the University of North Carolina, and others, I plan to facilitate a project that is both empowering for participants and valuable to providers, educational institutions, and the public in Malawi and abroad.

This work will consist of:
• Visits to homes, community-based programs, and clinics
• In-depth audio interviews with children, families, health workers, teachers, and others
• My photographs and video of participants
• Documentation by the children of their stories, through the use of disposable cameras

My goal is to raise awareness by honoring the voices, experiences, struggles, and triumphs of the Malawians I meet.