PHOTOGRAPHER Ben Adams rarely puts himself in the frame.
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But when he met Collins,14, and the teeanger’s grandmother Nachi in Kenya, he captured a memento.
“Collins was very quiet that first day, but by the next day we’d formed a really nice bond,” said Mr Adams, 33.
“When we left, Nachi and her friends sang for us as a way to say thank you. It was incredible.”
The Cardiff freelancer travelled with child development and advocacy organisation Compassion Australia to Indonesia, Thailand and Kenya in 2017 to meet children who had received sponsorship, document their lives and share their stories.
His work features in Compassion Australia’s exhibition Generations: Stories of Hope and Resilience, which shows at The Freedom Hub in Waterloo from June 2 to 5.
Mr Adams said while families living in poverty face different challenges, their relationships were still special. “They do unbelievable things to provide for their families,” he said.
“They go to any lengths, which can be pretty intense at times, to do what they need to do and make sure their children have something to eat and wear before themselves.
“In Kenya the women are often the driving force of the family.”
Nachi has raised Collins ever since his mother died. They moved constantly as she sought work.
After Collins was registered in Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program, they have received a new home to replace their destroyed rented mud house as well as additional food, clothes and bedding.
“It’s changed their life dramatically,” Mr Adams said.
“They’re so grateful because they could not have got these resources before on their own.
“It opens childrens’ eyes to see what is possible and that there is more to life than the cycle they are in – just having education is a really big thing.
“The program is run by a local church group in their country so they also form connections to a positive community. Receiving sponsor letters also plays a massive part in giving the child confidence and hope.”
Mr Adams said it was important to show families with dignity, no matter their living conditions.
“The parents are always so proud of their children and home, so I try and capture that joy and take the kinds of photos I’d want of my own family.
“Even though we all speak different languages, and live completely different lives, we are still all so similar in many ways.”
Mr Adams studied radiography for a year before enrolling at TAFE’s Newcastle Art School and later falling in love with photography.
“It’s my way of making the world a better place and my dream job,” he said.
“By helping tell their stories and sharing them with the world, it can move people to contribute and assist these kids to get out of poverty.”