Education, hope and a safe space for Goma’s children

At the time of writing, if you search ‘Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo’ online, the results are bleak. It is one of the poorest places on the planet, a region scarred by political instability, war, conflict, natural disasters and disease. Yet over 600,000 people call Goma their home, and a significant proportion of these are children.

As you might expect, education here is hard to come by, severely limiting life opportunities for the young. Computer literacy is practically zero, as are the kind of vocational skills that spark entrepreneurship and grow ambition. This led New Yorkers Sam and Jack Powers to CAMME RDC, a grassroots organisation in Goma which exists to “to help the youth of Congo live a future free of exploitation, maximize their potential, and help themselves.” Sam takes up the story:

“Our late mother was a well-known photography dealer and in her last days she wanted to give back to the community and invited many students to her gallery. After her passing, Jack and I began to think of how we could use our expertise in youth development to take a little bit of what our mother had grown and bring it to the wider world.”

“I was studying International Relations and reached out to some organisations in Iraq, Jordan and Africa. One in the Congo responded and invited us over for a ten-day workshop. It was great, but we didn’t just want to do something and then pack away. So, we started a non-profit organisation and fundraised enough to build our first school with our partner in Goma.”

And so the Lens on Life Project was born, partnering with CAMME RDC and in-country teachers to provide photography and computer literacy education in a region where few had ever touched a camera or computer. “There’s such high demand – most kids have to drop out of school because they can’t afford it,” explains Sam. “Because we’re able to make it free, there’s usually a line out the door.” However, places are limited, and the admissions procedure is similar to those at colleges or universities. But instead of being focused on educational attainment, the onus is on background, drive and determination.

Students learn in three-month cycles. “They are given a point and shoot camera,” explains Sam. “And start with the idea of what it’s like to be a photographer. What it’s like to see the world through a lens.” This part of the curriculum is less about the technology and more about actually composing a shot and approaching people in the street to take their picture (“which is a little tougher in a place like Goma than, say, New York City”). The students also think about career development, the role of the photographer in the world and what that means for their future should they continue.

“The second part is what we’ve been doing with the Canon Young People Programme. The students get to know their DSLR camera more intimately, as well as Photoshop and how to put together a portfolio. Then they get out in the field and have their work critiqued.” Students are expected to give a solid rationale for each image and overall project. For example, one was interested in the way the elderly in the region continue to work in the absence of any kind of state support and “defended their portfolio” before a review board of teachers, partners and the brothers themselves.

Of course, none of this is particularly ground-breaking when viewed from a western perspective, but Sam cannot stress enough that this is nothing like the kind of school setting with which most readers will be familiar. “The joblessness and lack of resources really stuck with me. There is such an engineered feeling of hopelessness – students having to stop their education simply because they don’t have enough money,” he explains. “So, the level of attention we received in our first class was different. Students were really participating because they felt that this could be a way out.”

A few years down the line, Sam and Jack are seeing the impact and regularly receive messages saying, ‘I now have a business’ or ‘I’ve been hired!’. “Look at it this way,” says Sam. “You’re 16 to 25 years old, you dropped out of school when you were ten because your parents couldn’t afford to get you to the next stage. Or your parents are dead. Or you’ve fled conflict. Suddenly, you have a camera and someone teaching you. You have a skillset that you can use. And then you start making money from it. It changes someone’s life.”

Vocational skills, computer literacy and work experience are the key parts of their programme in Goma (Lens on Life and CAMME RDC are now able to place students on internships with NGOs), but Sam is also proud of the “safe space” that the teachers and partners have created. “Every time I go back, I can observe how important the classroom is. It’s become a nucleus in the community for discussing issues through photography. Domestic violence, as an example. Girls feel that they can bring images into the classroom that draw attention to the issue.” It’s a place where open discussion can take place. “Hunger, disease, sanitation, domestic violence, war, conflict, volcanoes, earthquakes – all of these things. Not everywhere can people get in a room at a young age and feel safe to raise these issues. What we’ve created with our partner is a way to do that.”

Learn more about the Canon Young People Programme.