George Jefferies 1/5/25 George Jefferies 1/5/25

In the Field - NGO Photography for FELM's Mushroom Cultivation Initiative, Ratanikiri, Cambodia

Sorl Nhoy, looks up into the forest canopy, 19th August, 2023, Veal Rum Plang, Ratanikiri Province, Cambodia

An aerial view of Kamen Village and the surrounding area, 20th August, 2023, Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia

Nin Samreth picks up a bottle full of grain as part of the mushroom production process, ICC Office, Banlung. Ratanikiri Province, Cambodia

A close up of Nin Samreth’s hands as he slices a mushroom as part of the mushroom production process, Banlung, Cambodia

A close up of Nin Samreth’s hands as he puts a piece of mushroom in the mother-of-mushroom solution, ICC Office, Banlung.

Nin Samreth places a bottle containing mother-of-mushroom solution on the top of the work surface as part of the mushroom production process

Pun Savy, a mushroom grower, inspects the mushrooms growing at his home

Spending time in the forests of Ratanikiri bought back memories of the extended periods I spent in the forests of Mondulkiri for Last of the Elephant Men.

Then I was working as a director, camera operator and Steadicam operator, this time I’d been assigned as an NGO photographer to document FELM’s mushroom cultivation programme.

FELM, a Finnish NGO, identify partners in the countries they work in and supports them in implementing their projects.

The implementing partner for this one is Integral Cooperation Cambodia, a Phnom Penh based NGO with an office in Banlung.

I arrived at their office to photograph the mushroom cultivation process.

I’m not entirely clear on all the steps, but Nin Samreth, the team leader on the Climate Resilient and Sustainable Indigenous Livelihoods-project, led me through the process while I took photographs of the process and portraits.

Sorl Nhoy, a project officer on the Climate Resilient and Sustainable Indigenous Livelihoods-project, also lent a helping hand. She showed me various parts of the process while I got on with my work as an NGO photographer.

Essentially, they put mushroom culture into sterilised bottles full of straw. The mushrooms then propagate before they can be transported to indigenous communities where they grow them in wall gardens.

After seeing the process at the office, we took a short ride out of town where I photographed Pun Savy at his house where he grows mushrooms.

The visit was rounded off with Pun Sayy taking a basket of mushroom round to his neighbour’s house where they prepared soup.

It’s increasingly important for indigenous people to have alternative food sources as the land they have to farm is getting smaller and climate change is making food production increasingly unpredictable.

You can see other examples of the NGO photography work here.

George Jefferies 11/24/24 George Jefferies 11/24/24

On Assignment - Photographing Malaria Prevention for WHO, Stung Treng, Cambodia

Sophal and his team return home on boats after a community visit to a remote village

Sophal leaves Siem Pang Health Center to go on a community visit

Sophal drives out of Siem Pang Health Center on his motorbike to go on a community visit

Sophal and health center staff check malaria information at Siem Pang Health Center

Sophal does a stock take of malaria prevention medicine at Siem Pang Health Center

Sophal reviews malaria record with his team in a remote village

Sophal monitors a training session about malaria prevention in a remote community

Sophal speaks to a community about malaria prevention

Sophal in discussion with a WHO team member on a small ferry to a remote village where they work

Sophal sits on a small boat as he return to Siem Pang after a community visit

Sophal works on his masters on his computer late at night

It’s always a pleasure to get of Phnom Penh on assignment and this job was no exception. The brief was to produce a series of 25 photos for the World Health Organization about Sophal for their WHO’s Who series to commemorate their 75th anniversary of providing health for all.

The series was to highlight some of vital work done by some of the key healtcare workers around the world.

Sophal works in malaria prevention and has dedicated himself to preventing malaria in the remote parts of Stung Treng, which are high risk areas.

Sophal was a great choice for the photography series and he is dedicated to his work and he’s very respected within the communities he works in. He led a fundraising campaign when one of his team lost their house through fire. On another occasion, he donated blood to one of his community health workers’ wives after being alerted to the need in the middle of the night.

He’s also studying for a masters in public health in his spare time.

It was a busy day photographing Sophal. We arrived at Siem Pang Health Center early in the morning where Sophal met with the local health centre workers, checked malaria records and did a stock take of the preventative medicine before travelling into the community.

Working in remote villages, we had to take a ferry an ox and cart and small boat to reach the most remote village.

When we got to the community, Sophal checked the records and spoke to his team of community health workers.

From there, his team went into the community to provide training to the village and to check on people who had recently returned from the forest to give them preventative medicine.

The team managed to get all of this done before a storm blew in and the heavens opened.

You can see other examples of my NGO photography for the World Health Organization here and here.

George Jefferies 10/13/24 George Jefferies 10/13/24

Working as an NGO Photographer Covering Leprosy Elimination for WHO in Cambodia

A aerial video of Pram Yam Healthcenter where Visal conducts leprosy monitoring training

Visal shows trainees leprosy medicine during a training session in Kampong Cham Province

Visal and community health workers monitor the community

A community health worker checks a young man for sign of leprosy, Kampong Cham, Cambodia

A community health worker fills out a registration form for a woman, Kampong Cham Province

A female health worker gives a mother and son leprosy medicine and a certificate of registration

A female leprosy sufferer who was left disabled by the illness feeds her chickens

After a successful collaboration with WHO last year, it was great to be asked to work as a documentary photographer to produce another photo essay as part of their People of the Western Pacific Series.

The brief was to produce 25 photos to tell the story of Visal and the invaluable work that he does in eliminating leprosy from Cambodia.

Visal works for the National Center for Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control, under the Ministry of Health, and has been instrumental in implementing the National Programme for Leprosy Elimination.

Visal is dedicated and passionate about his work and even faced discrimination from his own family. They asked him not to visit his home town before he educated them about how easily treatable the disease is.

I spent a day taking photos of Visal as he worked in the community.

I photographed Visal conducting a training session, speaking to the local health authorities to explain their activities and conducting screening in the community.

At the end of the day, we visited a couple who both had leprosy and suffered disabilities as a result.

Visal’s work has helped to reduce the stigma within their community and he’s helped them to establish a chicken husbandry business that helps them to be financially independent.

Visal has also been instrumental in establishing networks using social media to help identify new cases. This has been very effective, particularly when working with people from remote areas, which is where most new cases are detected.

Leprosy is easily treatable and can be eliminated from Cambodia.

Due to the hard work of people like Visal, there are very few new leprosy cases in Cambodia and by educating people, their work has helped to reduce the stigma.

I wish them luck in achieving their goal.

You can see more of my photography work for WHO here. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any NGO photography projects you would like to discuss.