Dear AjA Project Supporters,

The spring semester is now in full swing and the HQ and international offices are hives of activity. We have a new educational partner for our San Diego Project, the Sudanese English Project. We have a brand new gallery of Karen refugee students’ work entitled “fleeing burma”. Blake Craig, Director of Operations, just finished compiling our new “multimedia CD,” which contains a number of AjA student galleries, video, slideshows and wallpaper (click here to receive a copy).

Over the next few months, we will be featuring one of The AjA Project’s programs in each update. In this month’s update, we will present The AjA Project’s program in Colombia, also known as Disparando Camaras para la Paz (DCP). Below is a report from Alex Fattal, Program Director and founder of the DCP program:
Disparando Cámaras para la Paz is alive and clicking!

I’ve just returned from Colombia, and am happy to report that classes are in session and 35 kids are participating in the spring semester’s program. Currently, the DCP students are learning to process their own film and preparing to shoot this semester’s assignment, mi barrio. Mi barrio will be a photographic exploration of their seven year-old barrio called El Progreso. It is exciting to witness the older, more experienced DCP students gradually take on leadership roles by teaching the newer students.
  The DCP program is located at an informal school called Corporacion Fe y Esperanza. Fe Y Esperanza’s dream of a new school-building that includes larger multi-purpose spaces for group cultural activities is now becoming a reality, thanks in part to the support of AjA donors. The second floor of this new school building will become DCP’s permanent home.

We plan to move in this May. For now DCP has made its headquarters former participant Elver Losano’s house. Unfortunately Elver (now internationally famous for his photo Shadows) had to return to Barranquilla, but he is proud to know that it is now being used as a fully operational darkroom despite a very erratic water-supply.

Over the last few months, DCP students have developed greater photo-sensibility by making photograms and by building and using estenopeic cameras. The kids recently returned to the point and shoot to make self-portraits which will

 

accompany letters to AjA students in Thailand and San Diego. This is part of a special AjA initiative: Documentary Interchange.
  DCP director, Osvaldo Vargas, has been visiting the families of DCP participants and working with parents in order to enroll DCP students in accredited high schools. There are no high schools in the neighborhood, and most of our displaced students will not otherwise study beyond the 8th grade. He is also working on securing the necessary funding for matriculation, uniforms, and school supplies for the students.

 

A special thanks to all of the AjA Project supporters: your donations are being put to excellent use in Colombia. You are making a profound impact on the lives of our students!

Abrazos,


Alex