This post features student writing.

My love for traveling and photography have been with me all my life. I have always been eager to travel to Africa to immerse myself in the culture and share my experiences through my photography. For my independent project, I took candid photos of Rwandan children in their happy states.

During our initial moments in Nyamata, we were introduced to the CECHE foundation where many families came in and welcomed Putney Student Travel into their community. As I sat down on the floor as everyone went around and introduced themselves, I spotted a boy around what seemed to be 10 years old with a bright smile on his face. He seemed incredibly glad to see us and the photo that I captured of him was the one that sparked the idea for my project.

One of the biggest challenges I faced during my process was the language barrier, preventing me from conveying my ideas with those I photographed.

I took most of my photos for the project at AVEH. As I became closer and more comfortable with the children at AVEH, I began to take more photos of them, capturing more candid shots. Sandri, a 13 year old girl resembling someone of a younger age, would always hobble around with a stick and a bottle, spinning the bottle on top of the stick. Sandri would find humor in a simple fist bump or seeing Alex run to give her a hug.

Similar to Sandri, Irena resembled a child approaching her teens but was actually 17 years old. She would also spin a crushed plastic bottle around on her finger and occasionally fidget with a piece of the plastic wrapping of crackers. You could always find Irena playing with her plastic and making “raspberries” with her mouth. She would often waddle up to you and give you a big friendly slap on the back.

Antoine would take the longest to finish his food during meal time. Once he’d finish his food, he’d reach for your hand to hold. Antoine would take pleasure in saying hi with a simple wave or smile. You could see him walking around AVEH with a huge smile on his face usually holding someone’s hand. Being 26 years old, Antoine was wise, the most mature and one of the easiest to hang out with.

Betty is a little girl who I met in the physical therapy room at AVEH. As soon as I grabbed her hand to say hello, she instantly smiled, lighting up the room. Every once in a while I would hear her giggle because of the attention she was receiving. Betty is blind so she never saw any of our faces but she always enjoyed the attention she received. Betty was always a pleasure to feed during meal time as she would sit very still, legs crossed, munching on her ugali, never making a mess. After the meal, she would grab onto your hand and hold it very tightly, ensuring that you couldn’t pull away. After each child finishes their meal, their faces are wiped clean with a rag. When I fed Betty, I made certain that I didn’t rub too hard with the rag, but from her tight grip on my hand I knew that Betty was a tough and bold girl.

Each day when the group arrived at AVEH, Karia would almost always greet us at the door looking for a high-five. I would reach out my hand in a fist and she would recuperate by doing the same as our fists collide in a fist bump. Similar to Betty, Karia was always smiling, typically due to her fascination for new technology. She found joy in the selfie camera on an iPhone and always had on a huge smile whenever she saw her picture. Children of Rwanda are very limited in their exposure to technology so any mobile device they lay their eyes on will instantly snatch their attention. Karia’s face always lit up at the sight of something uncommon. In her photo, she is sitting with Jasper who is showing her how to take a selfie.

The last person I decided to photograph was a little boy named Heaveny. When we arrived at AVEH each morning, Heaveny could be seen sitting on a bed, perfect posture, eyes wide open, and a huge smile. He instantly grabbed everyone’s attention. For the two weeks we spent at AVEH, Heaveny was kept company by almost everyone in the group at all times. He could be found sitting on someone’s lap, bouncing up and down, or smiling as he was being cradled. During lunch, Heaveny would take his time chewing his food and give you gentle slap when he wanted another bite of his ugali. Towards the end of his meal, Heaveny’s eyes would begin to close as he began to fall asleep in your arms. Heaveny takes on the appearance of a 6 month old baby though he is more than 2 years. He would find random objects around the home to play with and sit there having a good time until someone interrupted his play time.

These are only a few of dozens of photos I have taken throughout the course of my time in Rwanda. Each child I photographed has their own individual personality which should all be appreciated. Every child expresses the same emotions: happiness, sadness, fear, excitement, etc., just all in different ways. I’ve learned how to be more comfortable not only in front of children, but children with disabilities.

During my time in Rwanda, I feel that I have become a more mature and confident person. This trip was a once in a lifetime journey and I am glad that I benefited so deeply from it.

–Nelson