These pictures just brighten my day. Courtesy of Washington Post
Today marks the five-year anniversary of the deadly earthquake that devastated Haiti, killing over 300,000 people and nearly leveling an entire country’s infrastructure. The country continues to grapple with rebuilding itself even after over $12 billion in aid was pledged by over 50 countries, 80 percent of which has been distributed, according to the United Nations.
In 2014, photographer Felipe Jacome began taking portraits of Haiti’s change makers, taking a closer look at local leaders and grassroots organizations trying to bring change to their communities, often with very little resources in the face of tremendous hardships.
“Over past the four years working as a documentary photographer in Haiti, I have encountered a remarkable amount of stories of individuals and grassroots organizations creating positive change,” Jacome tells In Sight. “The types of initiatives range widely as they tackle the long list of Haiti’s illnesses. There is the story of KOFAVIV, a support group of rape survivors helping the thousands of women and children raped in the aftermath of the disaster. There is the tireless campaign of Haiti’s amputee soccer players to demand respect for the marginalized handicapped population.”
Jacome’s portrait piece seeks to highlight the stories of Haitians changing Haiti, a story sometimes overlooked by the international aid apparatus and muffled by the country’s political instability. – Washington Post
See the rest of the library of pictures here.
