Love in the time of Corona
Because this will one day be a hell of a story to share, what better way than to capture it in a photo! Inspired by a project that started in the US (#frontstepproject) I am offering FREE portraits -especially to families, but I’d love to capture hospital staff, teachers or other groups in the area as well. I aim to awaken a sense of community during this time when everyone might feel isolated: we’re all in this together! Let’s preserve a snapshot of how each household is going through this unusual situation.
How does it work?
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1. Contact me: Send me an email to wildfree.photo@gmail.com and we will set a date/time when I’ll come by your place. Usually best after 5pm or during the weekends, as I am home-schooling two busy boys during the day. The photos may be used for publication or local expositions. The images may be used as well in social media, unless you opt out for this.
2. On the day: You will know when I will be coming, so (together with those that you want the photo taken) you can step outside your door, garden, window or wherever. I will take a couple of shots from a distance and leave. I won’t physically interact with anyone or touching anything during the sessions.
3. Delivery: I will send you the digital files within a few days. In exchange, I ask you to donate whatever you can/want to a charity of your choice. I love the idea that this project may be an opportunity to step up to help those who need it most right now.
Here some options close to my heart in case you need inspiration:
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Red Cross (https://www.icrc.org/)
The ICRC is an independent, neutral organization ensuring humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence. It takes action in response to emergencies and at the same time promotes respect for international humanitarian law and its implementation in national law.
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Médecins Sans Frontières (https://www.msf.org/)
MSF is opening new projects in response to COVID-19 and adapting existing ones to help cope if cases are identified. They are very concerned on how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect people in countries with already fragile health systems or in precarious environments, such as the homeless, refugees living in camps or conflict-affected populations.
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Hermanos en el camino (http://www.hermanosenelcamino.org/english.html)
A migrant myself I can’t help but relate with the outstanding work this organisation is doing. Now that the US-Mexico border migrant shelters brace for Coronavirus, help is particularly needed. Under Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, more than 60,000 asylum seekers have been forced to stay on the Mexican side of the border as they wait for their requests to be heard. As the number of COVID-19 cases rises in Mexico, experts have voiced concerns about the spread of the virus in the crowded migrant encampments that dot cities across northern Mexico, where healthcare is patchy and life-saving ventilators are few and far between.