My name is Alex Masi, and I am an Italian documentary photographer committed to spreading awareness and supporting action towards children's rights and education.
In May 2011, 'The Photographers Giving Back Awards' assigned me a 5000 US$ grant to create and implement a specifically designed plan, benefiting one of my subjects, Poonam - and her family, after noticing one of my images of the young girl, then 6, revelling in the rain in Bhopal, near the abandoned Union Carbide complex.
Since then, I witnessed the passion that is moving Poonam and her family along, and how a single possibility for change has been able to spark such a vibrant enthusiasm for life.
The Approach
When I was offered the exceptional chance of helping one of my subjects directly, I can't honestly say I did not feel a great deal of responsibility and pressure to fully accomplish this task.
Very soon, I became fascinated about witnessing the change, however small, that our action would have on Poonam and her family. I felt honoured to be able to use my skills and dedication to fulfil the core values of the grant. I did not want to hand cash to a subject: my interest laid in offering Poonam, her siblings Jyoti and Ravi - and their family - a chance for a better life. |
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To better understand the local conditions, and implement such a plan, I decided to consult extensively with my local assistant Neelam, and with Poonam's parents, on how to effectively begin eradicating the family from extreme poverty using their own skills, means and ideas.
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Poonam's home was crumbling, and the shack, made of bare soil and cow dung, could not withstand another heavy monsoon season. |
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Since learning needs to happen in a protected and relatively tidy environment: as a first step, we began building a new home.
The family has lived in it since June 2011, just ahead of the heavy monsoon rains, and the new home has provided them with a substantial improvement in the quality of their daily lives. Made of solid red bricks and cement, Poonam's newly-built home features one main room, a secondary room, a cozy, luminous kitchen and a bathroom with a septic tank that will last for years. |
The entrance of their home is now elevated, to prevent it from flooding during heavy rains. Having a bathroom / toilet is another simple advancement that has made the life of Poonam's family much easier and less risky.
They can wake up later and sleep with comfort and regularity. They don't need to go out looking for a spot of privacy anymore - and by the time breakfast is ready - the siblings are reviewing their work, ahead of their school day. After consultation with Poonam's father Suresh, I decided to purchase a small cart, which he is using to sell vegetables, earning twice as much his previous salary as a daily-wage labourer. |
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Selling on the streets and city markets with Ravi, 14 in 2014, also allows for extra free time to be spent with the family, saving money and thinking about new possibilities.
The cart can be employed to transport goods, or during local fairs and Hindu festivals, as it can be turned into a portable stall from where to sell anything, from toys to juice, from rice-cakes to firecrackers, candies, boiled eggs and much more. Over the last few years, there has been a very noticeable imrovement in the way Poonam's father regards his work, and how the family faces everyday life. |
However, change is slow in Bhopal's poorest colonies, and we are presently discussing the options that could work best in providing the family with even more income as a whole.
As part of the grant offered to Poonam by 'The Photographers Giving Back Awards', I have also offered Arti, her old sister, a sewing machine. Following six months of private lessons - she is now able to work in collaboration with her mother, Sangita. Too old for regular schooling, learning sewing skills - and practising at home - is the best option to provide Arti with the chance of supporting herself and her family. |
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At the moment, I am considering a few options aimed towards a future employment for Sachin, Poonam's oldest brother, a young man affected by a lower-limb paralysis and a skeletal deformity preventing him from standing up naturally and walk.