After seeing first hand in Tanzania last summer the incredible work that Compassion Road does, I’ve joined their board and they’ve appointed me as their creative director. Besides a cool title : ) this means I’ll be coordinating their annual fundraiser/gallery (keep an eye on my blog for details) and I’ll be documenting their international trips and their domestic hospice work. The work they do is amazing and I couldn’t be more excited to volunteer for them.

Here’s one of my favorite photos from last year’s trip:

…and go to “portfolio” above and click on “compassion road” to see a slideshow of the trip.

I spent a week in June in Tanzania photographing for the non-profit Compassion Road Project. The project trains palliative care teams in third world countries in bereavement counseling. I spent most of my time photographing as the team went on home visits to remote Masai villages in Tanzania. Almost all the the people they met with had AIDS and/or TB and their children were often infected with AIDS. There is still a stigma with AIDS there and people with AIDS are typically shunned by their family and community.

I am in awe of the resilience and beauty of the people I met there. The care givers go out to villages to provide palliative care and bereavement services and spend their day being fully present with people who are living with devastating illnesses. And then on the hours long ride back to town, crammed into bench seats in a Range Rover, they would routinely break out into these beautiful songs in Swahili.

I’m not going to attempt to present a complete photo essay on my blog…it still feels too fresh to put together a coherent presentation and the blog just doesn’t feel like the place to do that. Instead, I’ve picked a few of my favorite photos to post. This winter the Compassion Road Project will be having a gallery showing of the photos and silent auction to raise money to fund the project. I will definitely let folks know when that is scheduled.

A big thank you to my good friend, Brian Bowles (one of the volunteers for the project) for giving me the opportunity to photograph the project.

A child in Monduli village.

Caregivers on a break.

This lady hadn't received treatment for AIDS other than her initial diagnosis.

Kids in a Masai village.

The son of one of the patients.

Kids in Monduli village.

Brian has never met a stranger.

The child of a patient.

The pastor next to the building he went to school as a child.

One of the caregivers on the ride back to Arusha.

This man and his wife both had AIDS and TB. Both their kids were also positive.

Boy in Monduli village.

One of the caregivers.

One of the caregivers on the ride back.

A patient at the day clinic in a Masai village. He had AIDS and TB.

These patients turned around, unprompted, and posed as they left the clinic.

A caregiver on the ride back to Arusha.

A boy in Monduli village.

The caregivers met with this young lady, who was dying of AIDS, in her home.

An orphan in a Masai village.

I vividly remember the grace that this woman, in the final stages of dying, had in welcoming us into her home.

The team on the ride back to Arusha.

Caregiver on the ride back to Arusha.