CRWRC

by Liz Cantu

In the fall of 2007 I received an opportune invitation to journey once again to Africa. This time the invitation came for a visit to the countries of Kenya and Uganda. The visit was for an almost three week journey to survey and hopefully understand the grave implication of HIV/AIDS in sub-Sahara Africa. What I saw, touched, smelled, tasted, and heard for that brief moment in time has been tattooed, permanently on me. It was a fortunate opportunity to experience the convincingly firsthand accounts of a deadly virus, and how kind simple acts of justice are putting a halt to the onslaught of death. As a photographer, I’m convinced that the world needs to experience as much as I have experienced in that brief window of time. I’m convinced that the brave souls I encountered that were so open to testify should not only have been witnessed by me, but by the world. The only way I know how to record the testimonies shared is with a camera. To take the audience into some all too often intimacies that even the click of the shutter had the boisterous tones of the African thunder that I simple put the camera away and listened to the silence of death, and the laughter of hope.

CRWRC is doing an excellent job of caring for the vulnerable in Africa. There is a specialized campaign that is titled Embrace AIDS that focuses on the issues of HIV/AIDS in a wholistic = “whole/together” approach. They are not the typical NGO that goes into third world countries with lofty hopes and expectations. However, they’re quite the opposite. They work with the indigenous population of each country; moreover, they work with the local leadership and build a team of trust and self sustaining support. They have meetings with the local community and work on a grass roots plan to partner and combat the trying elements of HIV/AIDS. They look at medicinal, financial, nutritional, and educational needs. Nema Aluku (Director for Kenya and Uganda) is a hero. She’s my personal hero too. Her and her team is touching the lives of individuals and villages country wide. I witnessed her example as a leader, healer, cheer leader, teacher, and guide.

I could potentially write volumes about what I saw in the weeks that I was there. In fact, upon my return home, I counted the amount of photographs and blog pages and the total count was shocking. I photographed over 3000 images and wrote almost 100 pages.

Liz Cantu On behalf of CRWRC