The connection...
Yvonne, Germany.While I was searching for a school in Ecuador to deliver some letters from 8 german kids (they have been curious and wanted to get to known some ecuadorian kids..) I met Marzena in the bus... she convinced me to come to Chunchi with her and finally we spend a beautiful time with a lot of enthusiastic kids... reading, writing and drawing letters to the other end of the world...
From Chunchi to the world....
My name is Alexandre, I come from France and I was making an internship in Chunchi when Marzena arrived. I remember when the project « Chunchi vista desde la mirada de los ninos » first started.
The idea was to enable the kids of Chunchi to take photos of their own life, of their own houses, of their village, of their own land. We weren't sure that we could endorse the responsibility of giving numeric camera to a 10 years old kids. Quickly, the enthusiasm of Marzena got rid of those legal aspects and the project started.
It was fun to see how the kids were amazed to have this possibility. They weren't jumping for joy – the seranos kids are very shy and in some way, unfathomable- but we could see in their eyes that they were thankful. Now the bad part of their enthusiasm was to be waken up in your bed at 6 o'clock on Sunday morning by some kids asking for their camera: « What do you want the camera for? It is still night out there! » was I thinking/grumbling... Fortunately, Marzena is more patient than I am!
During months, kids of all the village were entering and leaving from our house in order to use the camera. We stored the photos on a computer and some USB keys. After 3 months we had enough pictures to set an exposition in the main square of Chunchi. We asked the support of the alcaldia de Chunchi and Eduardo Espinoza, head of the department for social actions, agreed to help us. An old carpenter of the village gave us some sticks and strings in order to expose the kid's pictures.
When we first put the photos in the square, people were surprised. They asked: « What is it for? Are you going to sell it? No?! So why are you doing this? ». The chunchenos are not used to that form of art. This exposition was a new thing for them but they appreciated it very quickly. Some people were surprised and pleased to appear on some photos. So pleased that some of them would bring their friends in order to show them the pictures!
We used the photos a second time during las fiestas de Chunchi in July. It was a really sunny day and the square was full of people. It was really a huge success that time. Some kids were really proud of showing their own clichés to their friends and family.
Three months after coming back to France, I received an e-mail from Marzena saying: “today we received a visit from Chunchi's kids in Varsovia...”. The idea was great. The photos from Chunchi would continue to travel with us and one day maybe, would come back to them!
As soon as I can I will try to set the same exposition in Paris. Soon. Very soon.
Muchas gracias otra vez a Marzena por su motivación, su paciencia y su generosidad, y a todos los niños que participaron al proyecto: Javier, Jocelin, Marta, Wilmer, Andres, Giovanni, Kevin...
The idea was to enable the kids of Chunchi to take photos of their own life, of their own houses, of their village, of their own land. We weren't sure that we could endorse the responsibility of giving numeric camera to a 10 years old kids. Quickly, the enthusiasm of Marzena got rid of those legal aspects and the project started.
It was fun to see how the kids were amazed to have this possibility. They weren't jumping for joy – the seranos kids are very shy and in some way, unfathomable- but we could see in their eyes that they were thankful. Now the bad part of their enthusiasm was to be waken up in your bed at 6 o'clock on Sunday morning by some kids asking for their camera: « What do you want the camera for? It is still night out there! » was I thinking/grumbling... Fortunately, Marzena is more patient than I am!
During months, kids of all the village were entering and leaving from our house in order to use the camera. We stored the photos on a computer and some USB keys. After 3 months we had enough pictures to set an exposition in the main square of Chunchi. We asked the support of the alcaldia de Chunchi and Eduardo Espinoza, head of the department for social actions, agreed to help us. An old carpenter of the village gave us some sticks and strings in order to expose the kid's pictures.
When we first put the photos in the square, people were surprised. They asked: « What is it for? Are you going to sell it? No?! So why are you doing this? ». The chunchenos are not used to that form of art. This exposition was a new thing for them but they appreciated it very quickly. Some people were surprised and pleased to appear on some photos. So pleased that some of them would bring their friends in order to show them the pictures!
We used the photos a second time during las fiestas de Chunchi in July. It was a really sunny day and the square was full of people. It was really a huge success that time. Some kids were really proud of showing their own clichés to their friends and family.
Three months after coming back to France, I received an e-mail from Marzena saying: “today we received a visit from Chunchi's kids in Varsovia...”. The idea was great. The photos from Chunchi would continue to travel with us and one day maybe, would come back to them!
As soon as I can I will try to set the same exposition in Paris. Soon. Very soon.
Muchas gracias otra vez a Marzena por su motivación, su paciencia y su generosidad, y a todos los niños que participaron al proyecto: Javier, Jocelin, Marta, Wilmer, Andres, Giovanni, Kevin...
