Archive for the category "India"

(English) A week out of the life of a volunteer photography trainer

Mittwoch, März 21st, 2012

Leider ist der Eintrag nur auf English, Nederlands und Español verfügbar.

We had a busy week in the Fairmail India office last week! We were lucky enough to have Anna Grebel join us for a few days and then we went on a class trip to a waterfall to work on our photo’s… Busy Busy Busy!

Anil and Anna doing a role play in the office

Anil and Anna doing a role play in the office

Anna came to meet the teenagers and do some careers training with them. Back home Anna works with teenagers on all sorts of topics so we were all very happy she wanted to come work with us at Faimail India! Her workshop was fantastic, all of the teeangers learnt about interviews and Anna gave lots of great tips and advice and the students had chance to practise doing some role plays – Lots of fun and great English practise for them too! The teenagers profit funds from their photos finances their education and futures so its really important for them to start thinking about their dreams for the future!

Taking Christmas pictures at the waterfall

Taking Christmas pictures at the waterfall

Last Sunday we took our bag of props and a BIG picnic basket to the Waterfalls, about an hour outside of the city. The waterfall is beautiful and the trees and the water made great backgrounds for our christmas props. The students all worked really hard and afterwards we enjoyed an delicious picnic together and some of the teenagers went for a dip in the river! A lovely day for all of us and some great photos were taken for christmas themes – hopefully we’ll see some of them on cards next christmas!

Want to learn more about the opportunities for you to give photography training to the FairMail teenagers in Peru, India or Morocco? Click here for more information.

Elaine Cowen with the FairMail India team

Elaine Cowen with the FairMail India team

(English) Teenage photographer Anshu is saving to become a doctor

Donnerstag, November 10th, 2011

Leider ist der Eintrag nur auf English, Nederlands und Español verfügbar.

Anshu with FairMail volunteer Elaine

Anshu with FairMail volunteer Elaine

Namaste! Hello! I am Anshu, I am one of the teenagers in FairMail India. I am so happy to be in FairMail because I can learn lots of new skills, have fun and also earn some money (FM: 1.292 euro so far). I would not have had the chance to earn some money for myself if I wasn’t in FairMail India.  Now I am very happy because during the last quarter I have earned the most profit of all of the FairMail India teenagers with the sales of my cards and that has made my family very proud of me!

Anshu with her family in front of her house

Anshu with her family in front of her house

My family is very big. There are 12 people so the money I make will help us a lot. I have already bought a big storage cupboard for my house so now we have more space for my family. The rest of my money is saved for my education in the future. One day I hope I will be a doctor. I want to help people and care for people who are sick. I will have to go to University first and that is very expensive. If I didn’t have my savings from FairMail I would never be able to go to university and become a doctor. So I am very happy that FairMail has given me this chance for my future.

Anshu in action during classes

Anshu in action during classes

I really like to learn photography. I like to take photographs of flowers the most. I like the flowers in the park because there are so many different colours to take photographs of and I think that people like to buy cards with nice flowers.

I love to see new places too. Last year I went to the photography trip with FairMail to Darjeeling. I liked to see the new places and the scenery and I made some nice photographs there. One day I would like to see some more places in India like Mumbai and Delhi and make some more nice photographs. Maybe when I am a doctor I can buy my own camera!

I want to say thank you to everyone who buys a card from me and from the other FairMail teenagers.

Namaste.

(FM: read more about Anshu, vote for her pictures or order her cards by clicking here)

(English) FairMail india photographer Akash goes back to school

Mittwoch, Oktober 5th, 2011

Leider ist der Eintrag nur auf English, Nederlands und Español verfügbar.

Akash with his family

Akash with his family

Hi, I am Akash Ram, one of the Photographers of FairMail India. I am 18 years old. It is my third year in FairMail India and I have improved a lot in my photography and also in my study. I left my school in my childhood and I started to learn to become a motor mechanic so I did not think about my study.

When I joined FairMail I was inspired to take a private tuition so I stared going there. In the first few months I did not like it because I knew nothing and I was grown up boy so I felt embarrassed to go there. But because of FairMail I kept doing my study and now I know many basic things like reading, writing and doing maths. Now I plan to write my high school exam next year so I am very thankful to FairMail.

Akash with his tutor

Akash with his tutor

Through FairMail I learn many things in photography and I take good pictures. And there are my cards too so with that I earn good amount of money (red.: 1.200 Euro so far). Some of my money I was able to invest in my business to improve my motor mechanic shop which is getting better and I have saved some of my profit fund for my future study.

So thanks to the FairMail India team and also those who are involve with FairMail and also those who buy our cards.

Many greetings
Akash Ram

(Red. Read more about Akash, watch his pictures, buy his card or send him an email by clicking here. Check out Akash’s three new Christmas cards by clicking here)

Akash in the motor workshop he shares with his father

Akash in the motor workshop he shares with his father

(English) Indian Photographer Kaushal full fills his dreams

Mittwoch, August 31st, 2011

Leider ist der Eintrag nur auf English, Nederlands und Español verfügbar.

Kaushal in action

Kaushal in action

Hello… Namaste… I am Kaushal and I am a photographer at FairMail India.

I am 15 now and I joined FairMail two and a half years ago. Before that I didn’t know anything about cameras. First I wanted to learn a lot and try to take some nice photographs to earn some money and help my family, but now that I understand it more I have a dream to become a professional photographer and take many creative photographs all around the world. I have lots of creative ideas and sometimes I have to spend a long time on my picture until I am happy it is perfect. I have four more years to study at my school and then I hope I will be able to study a Bachelor of Fine Arts course at the University here in Varanasi and use my photography skills.

Kaushal with his family in front of his house

Kaushal with his family in front of his house

In my family I have only sister, my grandmother and my mother. My father died when I was at the age of ten so it was a big burden for my mother to care for me and my whole family. I did not have any hope in my life because of my families’ situation. But in February of 2009 I was been selected to work in FairMail India. There I learnt how to be creative by taking picture and I was also encouraged to think about a dream for my life so now my dream is to become a good photographer and become a psychologist. Now I am very positive that I can reach my goal.

From the sales of my first card at FairMail I was able to earn 5.000 Rupees and I used the money to build a second room at my house. I live with my sister, my mother and my grandmother and before I had the money we all lived in one room together, now there is a little more space for my family.

Kaushal with his new laptop

Kaushal with his new laptop

This year I bought a laptop for my study as I am in high school and for my sister to use. She has a job typing in Hindi but before we had the computer she had to walk far in the dark to another computer and I thought it was dangerous for her and I was always worried about her. Now I have bought my laptop she can type at home and earn some more money for our family. I never thought that I will ever own a laptop in my life but FairMail made my dream full fill. Now I am saving my FairMail money to pay for my University course and I will also finish the building of my house.

One day I hope I will be a very famous photographer and when I am I would like to say thank you to FairMail for teaching me and go to FairMail in Peru as a volunteer to teach more teenagers how to be good photographers. I hope you like my photographs.

I want to thank FairMail and also to all who buy cards of FairMail because this makes our dream full fill.

Greetings,

Kaushal Das

(To watch the video of Kaushal in action taking pictures in Varanasi, click here. To buy Kaushal’s cards, click here)