Shot in Vancouver, Canada for The Voice Project (voiceproject.org). 'One of the best singer-songwriters you've never heard...' - Rolling Stone. Destroyed during fourteen years of civil war, the Relda Theatre once boasted an orchestra pit and balcony seating. Today, all that remains are ripped seats with exposed springs, crumbling walls and a view of the sky where there once was a roof. Despite the damage, crowds still gather in the theatre to cheer on soccer matches viewed on a small television set. 25-cent admission buys you a seat close to the action. As a result of almost two decades of fighting, horrific war stories are common in Liberia. Alfred G. recalled being lined up at gunpoint by rebel soldiers, as individuals were randomly picked and told to walk forward six feet. 'When you reached six feet - the rebels would blow you up.' Harbel Road leads to the house where I grew up as a kid in the '70s. The Liberia I remember was a beautiful and peaceful place with lush rainforest and miles of beaches. We left Liberia just before the 1980 coup that killed president William Tolbert. Two brutal civil wars followed - leaving 250,000 dead and more than a million Liberians displaced. South African based NGO, mothers2mothers, is working to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV through a model of care that relies on trained local women who provide education and support for pregnant women and new mothers living with HIV. Here mothers receive counseling on a sidewalk of a health clinic in Kigali, Rwanda. Thanks to the work of m2m, both babies pictured are HIV negative. A mentor mother prepares a nutritious lunch for couples attending an HIV support group facilitated by mother2mothers. Mentor mothers are mothers living with HIV employed to mentor HIV-positive pregnant women and new mothers in health facilities. They play a crucial role in empowering women to overcome the powerful social stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS, a stigma that prevents many women from accessing health care for themselves and their babies. New and expectant mothers wait patiently in a hot, crowded clinic to attend an HIV education class. Programs like this are crucial in educating women on the importance of being tested for HIV. Knowing your HIV status is the critical first step in preventing babies from contracting HIV through mother-to-child transmission. A rural homestead in Patagonia sits empty. This area was once a hub of sheep farming for wool production. Late in the 20th century, ranchers deserted their estancias as world wool prices fell dramatically making wool production no longer profitable. I was shocked to learn people burned or destroyed their photos to save their lives during the civil wars in Liberia. If rebel soldiers found people with photos of a happy, healthy life, they would suspect them as being part of the government. As a result they were often executed on the spot. An entire country has lost a crucial connection to its past - to its identity. Many Liberians no longer possess a single photograph of themselves or their family and most youth have never seen images of a peaceful Liberia. 37-year-old Saffa lives on an island in the Farmington River delta, 50kms south of Liberia's capital. A former resident of a now defunct hepatitis research centre, Saffa is one of 63 chimpanzees that are fed and cared for daily by a few remaining staff. The program costs $400,000/year - but their future and funding is in doubt. Andrew the gas attendant siphons gasoline from jars into people's vehicles at roadside. War has bombed Liberia back three decades – my father shot this same scene in the 1970s. Improvements to infrastructure are happening slowly and businesses are returning, but there are still few opportunities for work. At last estimation, Liberia's unemployment rate was 85%. On my way to Rwanda to document efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, my head was filled with some pretty grim stats: AIDS is the #1 cause of death in Africa; in parts of Africa 75% of babies born will lose their mothers to AIDS; over 22 million people live with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, 2.3 million of them, children. I began to worry if it was possible to make engaging and respectful photos that would be more that just generic images of suffering. Marianna was one of the first women I photographed - she shattered all my preconceived ideas and fears. Instead of an 'AIDS victim', I met an inspirational woman full of bravery, hope and courage. Travel guides note Liberia as being famous for 'rainforests and child soldiers'. But peace has returned. Alphonso poses with his surfboard (a gift from an American tourist) inside the bombed out Hotel Victoria, overlooking Liberia's most famous surf spot. While images of war still define Liberia for many people, there is a new Liberia emerging. There are new stories that need telling. There is Alphonso and his surfboard. Normality is returning to Liberia after two brutal civil wars devastated the country. Though 8,000 UN soldiers still remain 8 years after the fighting officially ended, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first and currently only female head of state, has managed to bring a measure of peace and stability to Liberia. Growing up in Liberia my family looked after a chimpanzee named Evelyn. She was more like a little sister than a pet. When I returned to Liberia for the first time in three decades, I had hoped to be reunited with my long-lost sister. I learned she was killed in Liberia's civil war. But I was lucky enough to spend the day with DJ (pictured), a former resident of a now defunct hepatitis research centre. Moved to islands in the Farmington River delta for protection from rebel soldiers during the war, DJ is one of 63 chimpanzees that are fed and cared for daily by a few remaining staff. The program costs $400,000/year - but their future and funding is in doubt. A make shift weigh station is set up at a rural health clinic in Malawi. Here mothers2mothers staff work to meet the needs of pregnant women and new mothers living with HIV. It is not uncommon for women to walk for hours from their remote villages, sometimes in secret, to get health check-ups and HIV tests for themselves and their babies. South African based NGO, mothers2mothers, is working to eradicate mother-to-child transmission of HIV through a model of care that relies on trained local women who provide education and support for pregnant women and new mothers living with HIV. m2m employs over 1750 women living with HIV and operates 704 sites, like this one, in nine countries in sub-Saharan Africa. There are 1.2 million AIDS orphans in Kenya. But there is reason for hope. NGOs like mothers2mothers are achieving remarkable success in keeping mothers with HIV healthy while preventing the transmission of HIV to their babies. m2m is helping to ensure a healthy generation of HIV negative children, like the baby pictured.
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