Help We Yone Help Francis!
Donation protected
My name is Sara B. May, and I'm a social documentary photographer from Seattle, currently working on a long-term documentary project following the lives of children orphaned by the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone. In the course of chronicling their stories, I've had the honor of working closely with a small, local non-profit in Freetown called the the We Yone Child Foundation (WYCF), which provides schools, educations, social welfare counseling, medical assistance and small business grants to over a thousand children and their families in the 2 most impoverished communities of Freetown.
It was thanks to WYCF that I met Francis Yorpoi--and soon you will, too. Here, Francis in his home in the George Brook community of Freetown:
The story of Francis, and hundreds of children like him, is a crucial piece of the world we live in. But because neither Francis nor We Yone has internet access, most of the world will never hear these stories. Francis lives in a 2 room mud shack with 6 other family members on a steep mountainside on the outskirts of Freetown, with no electricity or running water...
And while We Yone is desperate for internet access, the costs are prohibitive (they currently pay $70 USD/month for a non-functioning mobile "hotspot" which is simply doesn't work). So We Yone has focused upon spending what little funds they have on the people and the communities they serve, rather than on office expenses (they work out of the director's non-air-conditioned, generator-powered living room):
The most important thing that We Yone provides to the 2 communities it serves, along with everything I mentioned above, is HOPE. And over the course of my work in these communities over the past 2 years, I have experienced firsthand what "hope" actually looks like: self-confidence, dignity, open-mindedness, tolerance, generosity, patience, kindness, and a willingness and desire to work very hard for what you want, adult and child alike.
So...If We Yone provides hundreds of people with hope on a daily basis, what can WE give to We Yone to further sustain and strengthen their mission?
YES, you guessed it!! We Yone, and by extension Francis and hundreds of kids like him, need a functioning internet connection. Without it, We Yone has no hope of effectively sharing their clients' stories and their mission with those around the world who would want to hear it. Without the internet, Francis has little hope of reaching a broader audience with his story, let alone succeeding in his dream of becoming a photographer; many other children I've been following will struggle with their dreams of becoming teachers, doctors, lawyers, social workers or bankers. Why? Because in this day and age...
NO INTERNET ==> NO OUTREACH ==> NO FUNDRAISING ==> DEATH OF A NON-PROFIT
While I was back in Freetown 2 weeks ago, I had an internet service provider come to the "office" and give us an estimate for the service that would best suit their needs--uploading and downloading photos, running a blog, and optimizing their website and social media accounts. The cost? Mind-boggling, by Western standards: over $350 USD per MONTH!! (As you can imagine, internet access in underserved areas of Africa comes at a premium...)
HERE IS OUR MISSION:
We can donate the cost of a year's worth of high-speed internet--$5200 USD--to We Yone. With this, they will receive a 10% discount for early payment, AND launch the organization and the communities they serve to the next level. We can literally give them the world! We Yone, along with the people of Kroo Bay and George Brook, will gain the opportunity to tell their stories on a global scale, and thereby to connect with potential stakeholders across the world. The possibilities of what they can achieve with something as simple as a functioning internet are tremendous--establishing a donor base, attracting volunteers (teachers, social workers, tech support), material donations (cameras, computers, etc.), and the list goes on. I have seen what this organization has accomplished with virtually nothing to their name. 3 schools built, 1000 children with educations and dozens of families thriving on We Yone's small business grants. With internet access, we will deliver economic security to We Yone, so they can in turn continue to promote that same self-sufficiency to their communities. I firmly believe that We Yone's story, passion and mission are powerful and effective enough that within the year they will be funding their own internet--all they need right now is a little boost from us!
Which brings us to Francis. Francis Yorpoi is a 15 yr old boy living in the George Brook community of Freetown. He lost both parents to Ebola within weeks of one another in December of 2014. Prior to Ebola, he had been attending a private school, with a goal of someday becoming a doctor. His father was a professional photographer, his mother stayed home to raise him
and his younger brother. After his parents' deaths, he was separated from his brother and taken in by his paternal aunt and uncle, Matthew and Iye Gbakie, who were already struggling to support 3 sons of their own, along with a grandmother. Francis was moved to their home, miles up a mountain on the outskirts of Freetown, with no electricity or running water. When I met him over a year ago, he'd been sleeping on the dirt floor of their common room for over a year. Within a week of arriving in his new home, of his own accord he presented himself to We Yone's school nearby and began to attend classes. We Yone's social workers took him on as a client, and closely followed Francis and his new family to ensure Francis' needs were being met...
During my time with Francis and his family last year, I explained to him how we would use the photographs of him and his family to help We Yone share their story with the world, and hopefully to increase understanding and empathy towards hundreds and thousands of other people who had suffered similar challenges in the wake of Ebola. During that visit, Francis changed his mind as to his career path, and decided he would like to follow in his father's footsteps and become a photographer.
Fast forward a year and a half later, to my return visit 2 weeks ago: Francis is profoundly malnourished, with frequent bouts of malaria and typhoid. His family cannot afford his medical care, which is often covered by We Yone. Even during my visit, we had to take him to a clinic for evaluation of three days of high fevers and chills...
His aunt, Iye, 34 yrs old, is dying, though we do not know the diagnosis. In desperation, Francis' uncle Matthew will often take the medications that are sent home with Francis and give them to Iye, so Francis rarely receives a full course of his prescribed antibiotics or antimalarials...
With Iye's illness, the family is experiencing even greater economic strain than before, as Francis' uncle has foregone small jobs to care for his wife. The family eats only 1 meal every 2-3 days, and Francis has missed class frequently due to illness and to help his uncle earn money with odd jobs around the neighborhood. The home itself has no electricity, and all water must be fetched from the stream behind the house, which runs through the neighborhood garbage dump...
A bright note: on this trip to Sierra Leone, I was able to bring We Yone six second-hand digital cameras donated by friends in Seattle. One day 2 weeks ago, while I was shooting at the home of Francis, We Yone's director Santigie Dumbaya dropped by, and gave one of these cameras to Francis...
Francis was absolutely beside himself. Aside from playing with my cameras here and there, he's never held a camera in his life, and now here was one of his very own. Santigie walked Francis through the basics and within minutes Francis was in action...
The camera even won out over a rare bowl of rice....
That evening, I gave him his first photo assignment--to tell the story of his daily life. In 2 days, he took over 600 photographs. On my last day at his home, we reviewed his images together; I asked Francis to edit the 600 images down to 40 of his favorite photos for a slideshow, and for the first time, he experienced the joys and trepidation every photographer feels when editing their photos! Here, he works through the process with We Yone British volunteer Emma Dugdale, on a laptop computer donated to We Yone:
And now, Francis will take it from here: below is a slideshow of his work. It would be an understatement to say that he is an INCREDIBLY TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHER. He tells his story masterfully, introducing us first to his grandmother as she fetches water from the stream to water her garden, then other family members. He shows us what goes into preparing a meal, and powerfully captures his aunt's illness, and her inability to eat. He brings us into the small, intimate spaces of their lives with the wisdom and perspective of a seasoned professional. This is the story of Francis Yorpoi, as told by Frances Yorpoi.
If you find yourself moved in any way, please donate to support a year of internet for We Yone, so they can continue to empower Francis and hundreds of children like him to follow their dreams. Moving forward, We Yone will continue to support Francis' photography, uploading and sharing his images with the rest of the world, and I will be mentoring him via Skype, from We Yone's office. The world needs to hear from Francis and hundreds of children like him, and now we can make that happen. Please donate today!
[Music composed by Amine Bouhafa & Fatoumata Diawara, "Timbuktu Fasso"; from the soundtrack of oscar-nominated movie "Timbuktu"]
It was thanks to WYCF that I met Francis Yorpoi--and soon you will, too. Here, Francis in his home in the George Brook community of Freetown:
The story of Francis, and hundreds of children like him, is a crucial piece of the world we live in. But because neither Francis nor We Yone has internet access, most of the world will never hear these stories. Francis lives in a 2 room mud shack with 6 other family members on a steep mountainside on the outskirts of Freetown, with no electricity or running water...
And while We Yone is desperate for internet access, the costs are prohibitive (they currently pay $70 USD/month for a non-functioning mobile "hotspot" which is simply doesn't work). So We Yone has focused upon spending what little funds they have on the people and the communities they serve, rather than on office expenses (they work out of the director's non-air-conditioned, generator-powered living room):
The most important thing that We Yone provides to the 2 communities it serves, along with everything I mentioned above, is HOPE. And over the course of my work in these communities over the past 2 years, I have experienced firsthand what "hope" actually looks like: self-confidence, dignity, open-mindedness, tolerance, generosity, patience, kindness, and a willingness and desire to work very hard for what you want, adult and child alike.
So...If We Yone provides hundreds of people with hope on a daily basis, what can WE give to We Yone to further sustain and strengthen their mission?
YES, you guessed it!! We Yone, and by extension Francis and hundreds of kids like him, need a functioning internet connection. Without it, We Yone has no hope of effectively sharing their clients' stories and their mission with those around the world who would want to hear it. Without the internet, Francis has little hope of reaching a broader audience with his story, let alone succeeding in his dream of becoming a photographer; many other children I've been following will struggle with their dreams of becoming teachers, doctors, lawyers, social workers or bankers. Why? Because in this day and age...
NO INTERNET ==> NO OUTREACH ==> NO FUNDRAISING ==> DEATH OF A NON-PROFIT
While I was back in Freetown 2 weeks ago, I had an internet service provider come to the "office" and give us an estimate for the service that would best suit their needs--uploading and downloading photos, running a blog, and optimizing their website and social media accounts. The cost? Mind-boggling, by Western standards: over $350 USD per MONTH!! (As you can imagine, internet access in underserved areas of Africa comes at a premium...)
HERE IS OUR MISSION:
We can donate the cost of a year's worth of high-speed internet--$5200 USD--to We Yone. With this, they will receive a 10% discount for early payment, AND launch the organization and the communities they serve to the next level. We can literally give them the world! We Yone, along with the people of Kroo Bay and George Brook, will gain the opportunity to tell their stories on a global scale, and thereby to connect with potential stakeholders across the world. The possibilities of what they can achieve with something as simple as a functioning internet are tremendous--establishing a donor base, attracting volunteers (teachers, social workers, tech support), material donations (cameras, computers, etc.), and the list goes on. I have seen what this organization has accomplished with virtually nothing to their name. 3 schools built, 1000 children with educations and dozens of families thriving on We Yone's small business grants. With internet access, we will deliver economic security to We Yone, so they can in turn continue to promote that same self-sufficiency to their communities. I firmly believe that We Yone's story, passion and mission are powerful and effective enough that within the year they will be funding their own internet--all they need right now is a little boost from us!
Which brings us to Francis. Francis Yorpoi is a 15 yr old boy living in the George Brook community of Freetown. He lost both parents to Ebola within weeks of one another in December of 2014. Prior to Ebola, he had been attending a private school, with a goal of someday becoming a doctor. His father was a professional photographer, his mother stayed home to raise him
and his younger brother. After his parents' deaths, he was separated from his brother and taken in by his paternal aunt and uncle, Matthew and Iye Gbakie, who were already struggling to support 3 sons of their own, along with a grandmother. Francis was moved to their home, miles up a mountain on the outskirts of Freetown, with no electricity or running water. When I met him over a year ago, he'd been sleeping on the dirt floor of their common room for over a year. Within a week of arriving in his new home, of his own accord he presented himself to We Yone's school nearby and began to attend classes. We Yone's social workers took him on as a client, and closely followed Francis and his new family to ensure Francis' needs were being met...
During my time with Francis and his family last year, I explained to him how we would use the photographs of him and his family to help We Yone share their story with the world, and hopefully to increase understanding and empathy towards hundreds and thousands of other people who had suffered similar challenges in the wake of Ebola. During that visit, Francis changed his mind as to his career path, and decided he would like to follow in his father's footsteps and become a photographer.
Fast forward a year and a half later, to my return visit 2 weeks ago: Francis is profoundly malnourished, with frequent bouts of malaria and typhoid. His family cannot afford his medical care, which is often covered by We Yone. Even during my visit, we had to take him to a clinic for evaluation of three days of high fevers and chills...
His aunt, Iye, 34 yrs old, is dying, though we do not know the diagnosis. In desperation, Francis' uncle Matthew will often take the medications that are sent home with Francis and give them to Iye, so Francis rarely receives a full course of his prescribed antibiotics or antimalarials...
With Iye's illness, the family is experiencing even greater economic strain than before, as Francis' uncle has foregone small jobs to care for his wife. The family eats only 1 meal every 2-3 days, and Francis has missed class frequently due to illness and to help his uncle earn money with odd jobs around the neighborhood. The home itself has no electricity, and all water must be fetched from the stream behind the house, which runs through the neighborhood garbage dump...
A bright note: on this trip to Sierra Leone, I was able to bring We Yone six second-hand digital cameras donated by friends in Seattle. One day 2 weeks ago, while I was shooting at the home of Francis, We Yone's director Santigie Dumbaya dropped by, and gave one of these cameras to Francis...
Francis was absolutely beside himself. Aside from playing with my cameras here and there, he's never held a camera in his life, and now here was one of his very own. Santigie walked Francis through the basics and within minutes Francis was in action...
The camera even won out over a rare bowl of rice....
That evening, I gave him his first photo assignment--to tell the story of his daily life. In 2 days, he took over 600 photographs. On my last day at his home, we reviewed his images together; I asked Francis to edit the 600 images down to 40 of his favorite photos for a slideshow, and for the first time, he experienced the joys and trepidation every photographer feels when editing their photos! Here, he works through the process with We Yone British volunteer Emma Dugdale, on a laptop computer donated to We Yone:
And now, Francis will take it from here: below is a slideshow of his work. It would be an understatement to say that he is an INCREDIBLY TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHER. He tells his story masterfully, introducing us first to his grandmother as she fetches water from the stream to water her garden, then other family members. He shows us what goes into preparing a meal, and powerfully captures his aunt's illness, and her inability to eat. He brings us into the small, intimate spaces of their lives with the wisdom and perspective of a seasoned professional. This is the story of Francis Yorpoi, as told by Frances Yorpoi.
If you find yourself moved in any way, please donate to support a year of internet for We Yone, so they can continue to empower Francis and hundreds of children like him to follow their dreams. Moving forward, We Yone will continue to support Francis' photography, uploading and sharing his images with the rest of the world, and I will be mentoring him via Skype, from We Yone's office. The world needs to hear from Francis and hundreds of children like him, and now we can make that happen. Please donate today!
[Music composed by Amine Bouhafa & Fatoumata Diawara, "Timbuktu Fasso"; from the soundtrack of oscar-nominated movie "Timbuktu"]
Organizer
Sara B May
Organizer
Seattle, WA
