A Child's Eye: Exhibition of children's photography
Photographs taken by 60 children reveal the reality of life in Indonesian children's homes.
Tuesday 19 June 2007
Images revealing the reality of life in Indonesian children's homes - taken by children themselves - are on display in a major new photography exhibition launched in Jakarta on 13 June. The exhibition, A Child's Eye, includes photographs taken by 60 children living in institutional children's homes in three districts of Aceh province - Banda Aceh, Pidie and Lhokseumawe.
By encouraging children to turn the camera on their own lives, the project has provided young people with a creative way to communicate their views on the care system in which they live.
"A Child's Eye is about letting children speak out for themselves in a world where their voices are not often heard. Giving a child a camera is a powerful way for them to show what is really important to them. The quality of the images taken by the children was astounding and we were really taken aback by the insight and sensitivity these young photographers displayed" said Kevin Byrne, Country Director.
More than 16,000 children live in over 200 children's homes in Aceh alone. The vast majority of these children are not orphans, but have one or both parents alive, as well as extended families.
While the Indonesian institutions have provided emergency care for children in need of immediate protection, our hope is that these children can be returned to their families and communities, for their long-term well-being.
"Children have the right to be cared for by their families, and there is a wealth of evidence to show that family based care is better for a child's long term development. Poverty, or a lack of alternative care, should never result in children being unnecessarily placed in institutions" said Louise Melville, Care Adviser.
This project is part of an ongoing collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs to improve services to vulnerable children across Indonesia.
The exhibition will be open to the public from 14 to 22 June 2007 and is accompanied by a book, Life in the Panti Asuhan, which brings together all of the photos from the exhibition. This project is part of the International Save the Children Alliance's programme in Aceh Province.
What we are doing:
Save the Children is calling for more recognition of child's rights, better practices and care systems in Panti Asuhan across Indonesia and the need to shift the funding focus from institutions to family-based care.
Save the Children works all over the world to support the best possible care for children, and to help children to live with their families, or in alternative care, such as with foster or adoptive parents.
Find our more about Save the Children's work in Indonesia.
