From football to photography, Project Shootback brings hope to the ghetto.
| We want to tell people how our slum is, because we want to improve the conditions. That’s why we are taking pictures. |
Two years ago thirteen-year-old Peter Ndolo, from one of Africa's largest slums, had never held a camera. Now his photos are being exhibited in prestigious galleries around the world.
Peter is one of 31 kids from Mathare, just outside Nairobi in Kenya, who are capturing their home life on camera.
He and five others have just been to England to launch a book of their work - all thanks to Shootback, a photography project set up two years ago by American photographer Lana Wong.
Peter, like many of his friends in the slum, lives in one room with his mother, four brothers and three sisters. "I thank God and Shootback because I could have been in the street borrowing money, snatching women's bags or sniffing glue. Now I know how to take pictures, process film and use the Internet," he said.
Through Shootback Peter has also had the chance to earn money to pay for school fees.
Finished
"I finished my primary education in 1997 and haven't been at school since. My mother said she doesn't have money, so no school now. When I get money I can continue to learn and go to secondary school," he said.
Peter's motivation is clear. "We want to take people where they've never been. We want to tell people how our slum is, because we want to improve the living conditions. That's why we are taking pictures because we want our government to do something about it."
Shootback is part of a much larger project in Mathare which focuses on football, Aids prevention, environmental work and education. The slum has Africa's largest youth football league with over 14,000 boys and girls on more than 1,000 football teams.
"In the slum children use drugs and some of them have commercial sex," said Peter. "Football has really changed people. If, like myself, you play football, you have no time to think about these other things."
Teams earn extra points for clean up work, so there's a big incentive to do it. "We got some garbage trucks to help us collect the garbage and take it to the dumping site which has really helped the community," said Peter.
Projects are open to boys and girls alike and they're managing to break down deeply rooted gender barriers.
"Initially people thought that all the things that boys do, girls can do too. But in the recent past we have come to understand that what boys can do, girls can do may be even better, said Kim Kimanzi, 23, youth leader, who's been in the project since he was 10.
Challenge
"In Kenya most good jobs are occupied by men and boys. So it gives us a chance to go and challenge the boys," said Beldine Achieng, a 14-year-old girl, whose ambition is to become a photojournalist or a lawyer.
"We feel proud of what we've done because the main aim of the project is to give people a chance to speak out about how we live. Despite us living in the slums I would like to say the environment is the only bad thing. We are all human, we all eat, we all go to sleep."
"There is no difference between us and other photographers," said Collins Omondi, 17. "The only difference is that they shoot and we shoot back." Collins ambition is to become a photojournalist and a famous one. "Through the motivation of our project leaders, I know I will achieve my dream.
About the team
This article was produced by editors Darell Philip, 18, Gavin Fletcher, 15, Camille Noriega, 14, and reporter Gabriella Gay, 13. It was published in the Caribbean Times.
