Through A Photographer's Lens

If you enjoy photography then this weekʼs blog post is for you!  Fourteen years ago I sent my former Senior Manager Adam Voysey to investigate the possibility of Christian Action assisting the government of Qinghai Province with its orphanage and poverty alleviation work.  The trip was so successful that this year marks our 11th anniversary of co-managing the Xining Childrenʼs Home. Today I have asked Adam, who is now a US based photographer, to share a few pictures he has taken for us over the years. Enjoy!

A typical summerʼs day in Qinghai province. The day began with blue skies but in the space of a few hours it switched to rain, hail, snow and finally back to blue skies. The picture speaks to Qinghaiʼs vast beauty juxtaposed against the brutal weather residents endure. Last month, for example, severe hailstorms struck the Zeku area of the plateau while we were there - leaving six Tibetans dead and thousands more with homes that were either destroyed or severely damaged.



In the shadow of a giant sand dune a Tibetan woman carts water from a stream back to her tent. Life on the plateau is extremely labor-intensive and survival is a daily challenge.



I took this picture in September 1995 but can still remember the family to this day. They had lost all their livestock the previous winter and both parents were now forced to walk many miles each day in order to rent themselves out as shepherds to neighboring families. There was an icy breeze blowing through the holes of their yak hair tent when I was there and the boy was shaking so violently that I was sure the picture wouldnʼt turn out.



Taken last summer on the outskirts of Zeku Town outside the home of a woman who received a brick home courtesy of a Christian Action sponsor. Time and again I heard stories from Tibetan families and government officials of how their lives have been helped. In total 462 poor nomad families were granted winter homes through the program before it was handed over to the local government.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog this week. If you enjoyed the pictures please email this to a friend, and if you are not yet a Christian Action supporter, please feel free to contact me and I'll try to answer your questions.

Blessings,
Siew Mei.

Comments

[Kathy]

What striking photographs! Each one tells a story.