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.