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

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.

On Assignment for WHO - Directing 4 Videos About their Social Prescribing Campaign

I was commissioned by the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office to direct 4 videos about their Social Prescribing for Healthy Aging programme in Cambodia to form part of their training toolkit. The toolkit provides implementing partners with an overview of the best practices of how implement social prescribing at the community level.

The Social Prescribing for Healthy Aging programme is a way for healthcare workers to connect people to a range of non-clinical services in the community and to help the elderly not feel anxiety, loneliness or depression.

The toolkit is designed for policy makers and community health centres to help them run effective social prescribing schemes.

The brief was to make 4 videos to highlight the key aspects of successfully implementing social prescribing schemes.

The first video features Dr Kao Sovandara, a lecturer at The Royal University of Phnom Penh and part of the lead team implementing social prescribing in Cambodia. He gives an overview of the programme, the training they provide and how that works at a grassroots level.

The second video features Yem Sameoun, who is a commune councillor responsible for running the scheme in her community. She talks about the training she receives, the work she does in the community and the positive outcomes.

The third video features Nget Krin, an elderly community member. She talks about the situation she faces, the support she receives and how that makes her feel.

The fourth video features Dr Khan Sareth, a lecturer at The Royal University of Phnom Penh and part of the lead team implementing social prescribing in Cambodia. He gives an overview of what they’ve achieved and reflects on how the scheme can be improved in the future.

While the project is intrinsically nebulous in nature, I hope it can have an impact in Cambodia, regionally and in the rest of the world. As the world’s population is aging, it’s increasingly important to make sure everyone feels included within their communities.

You can see other example of my work for WHO here and here.

Videographer on a case study for the World Health Organisation in Cambodia

I was asked by the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s Western Pacific office to work as a videographer in Cambodia on a regional series of videos they were making to highlight the work that they do throughout the region.

The assignment was to produce a 2-3-min video on a case study about a garment factory worker who had received primary healthcare to document WHO’s primary health care activities in Cambodia. The video is part of a broader campaign by the regional office that included stories from 21 countries.

Although it was a challenging subject matter the participant was understanding and patient. She gave a great interview to explain how she may have died if she hadn’t received the primary health care she did free of charge as part the work that the WHO does in Cambodia.

It was greatly appreciated for her to invite us into her house and let us film her at her work place, at the local healthcare clinic and in her community with her friends.

The regional office were a pleasure to work with. They were clear in their process and provided a good model for what they wanted. I look forward to hopefully collaborating with them on future projects.

You can see more examples of my work as an NGO videographer for case studies here and here.

In the field as an NGO photographer for the World Health Organisation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Below is a selection of photographs I took while on assignment as an NGO photographer and videographer for the World Health Organisation’s Western Pacific office.

The aim of the Cambodian content was to produce a series of photos and a 3-minute case study to highlight the work that WHO are doing on primary healthcare in Cambodia, with a particular focus on how the project activities have benefitted people working in the garment sector.

We travelled to Sok Voeun’s house in an area just outside Phnom Penh where a lot of garment factory workers live. Although it was a sensitive subject, Sok Voeun was understanding and patient and did a great job of allowing us to photograph throughout the day. We filmed and photographed her at home, in her neighbourhood, at the local health centre and at the factory she works at.

Sok Voeun was very happy with the help that she’d received as part of the WHO programme and truly feels that the medical advice and support she received saved her life.

You can see a selection of the photos I took below and other examples of my work as an NGO photographer here and here.