Refugee Camp in Africa -- Dadaab Camp in Kenya
Photo Program 2006
The refugee camp of Africa is far away from Japan. It isn't hot issue on the media, and very few of us could imagine how it is. In January and February 2006, Wonder Eyes Photo Project was carried out in the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya, with the collaboration of Japan Association for UNHCR, UNHCR-Dadaab office, CARE, and the local teachers. The objective was to widen the learning scope of the refugee children by building their visual skills, to raise refugee children's profile internationally and especially to the Japanese people, which might attract more support to the refugees. And also it aimed so that the refugee children could have an opportunity to feel joy of taking photos by themselves.
Dadaab is located 500 km from Nairobi, near the border with Somalia. For almost 15 years, the population of Dadaab Camp increased approximately to 130,000. 97% is somalian, and the rest are small minority of Sudanese, Ethiopian, Congonese.
A total of 170 children, aged from 6 to 17 at the camp participated in the Photo Project, shown the photos of Japanese everyday life by the Japanese school children, and took photos, using disposable or digital cameras. The daily lives of the refugee camp, much unknown to the outer world, are exposed through the eyes of the children: the schools, houses, market, people living in the difficult situations, kids with big smile...... Those photos could tell you their lives on the same planet and also encourage us to be more conscious about the refugee and the world.
The program - WONDER EYES in Dadaab:
--Special thanks to the supports :
Japan Association for UNHCR
UNHCR-Dadaab office
KONICA MINOLTA PLAZA
CANON INC.
From World Refugee Day, June 20th, their photos were shown at the exhibitions in Japan.
EXHIBITION in Japan
Photo Exhibition - World Refugee Day
at UN Gallery (Aoyama/Tokyo)
photos taken by the children of Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, etc.
organized by UNHCR, Japan Association for UNHCR;
special support by Wonder Eyes Project
WONDER EYES Photo Exhibition
"For a Life" -Through the eyes of children of Refugee Camp in Africa
at KONICA MINOLTA PLAZA (Shinjuku/Toyko)
--photos taken by the children of Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, used by disposable cameras.
organized by WONDER EYES PROJECT, KONICA MINOLTA PLAZA;
special support by Japan Association for UNHCR
WONDER EYES Photo Exhibition
"For a Life" -Through the eyes of children of Refugee Camp in Africa
July 1 - August 13, 2006
at Gallery Walk of Kyodo News Bldg.- Shiodome Media Tower3F
organized by WONDER EYES PROJECT;
special support by Japan Association for UNHCR; supported by Canon Inc.
-- photos taken by the children of Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya.
...
August 22 - 27, 2006
Photo Exhibition
"Wonder Eyes" through the eyes of the children of Yokohama and the world
at Sun Heart - Culture Center of Asahi-ku of Yokohama Prefecture
organized by Sun Heart
direction by WONDER EYES PROJECT
-- Presented approximately 200 photos by the children of Yokohama, together with 150 photos taken by the children of East Timor, Uzbekistan, Australia, Brazil, Mozambique and the Refugee Camp of Africa(Dadaab/Kenya).
September 22 - November 12
Special Exhibition "Children living in Africa"
Joint Exhibition organized by : Osaka International Center of Peace
at Peace Osaka (Osaka/Japan) 1F; 9:30-17:00(closed Monday)
http://mic.e-osaka.ne.jp/peace/
support by : UNICEF, UNHCR, Kyodo News, Wonder Eyes Project, Kayoko Ikeda+Magagine House, Kuninori Takahashi, Hikaru Nagatake
--Wonder Eyes joined the part of the exhibition with the photos by the children of Mozambique and Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya.
WONDER EYES Photo Exhibition
"For a Life" -Through the eyes of children of Refugee Camp in Africa
March 7 - 16, 2007 at Shibuya City Town
organized by Shibuya City Town
supported by Wonder Eyes Project
Gallery
