I had the newsletter ready to go when the earthquakes started… so I had to change the lead. (The original first line extolled the virtues of living in the mountains). First let me say, everyone in Fotokids is okay. With all the seismic activity we have been very lucky considering the precarious living conditions of our students, so many of whom live teetering on the edges of ravines.
There have been 700+ earthquakes since Tuesday but only 25 or so (those over 3.5) or so have we been able to feel. But let me tell you, that’s enough. It’s nerve wracking. If I had felt all the 700 I’d have gone certifiable. Trying to get some sleep, with the bed moving in the middle of the night, should I run or just roll over? Sleep is at a premium. A small town close by was near the epicenter and has suffered damages; houses sliding off hillsides, ruins and adobe structures crumbling, and landslides making roads impassable. And so far today things are calm. But there is a swarm of fault lines crossing three different tectonic plates, bouncing off each other, so who knows. Loss of life, gratefully has been at a minimum.
Debby Doom- I was however, waiting to send off the newsletter, as the Mayan Calendar predicted a massive earthquake, compliments of the Mayan god Grand Ajaw Kukulkan today, Saturday- just in case…
On other news I am trudging along, writing a memoir, a chronicle of Fotokids’ history: sifting through notes from journals, letters and looking at so many old photos. Sometimes, it hits me and I can’t believe how rich and amazing these 34 years have been. Little did I think we would be celebrating our 34th year or that working in the dump in Guatemala City would offer travel benefits. We have been able to travel to cities in the U.K., Spain, Holland, Australia, Honduras, Mexico, throughout the U.S., and myself to Japan and the desert in Algeria. So, these last months I have been living a bit in the past and must say, thoroughly enjoying it.
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People say to me, “I thought you were retired”, so just to clarify, I am working with Fotokids in an auxiliary capacity and doing some social media, planning exhibits, and outside projects. I’m grateful most of this can be done at home, so I don’t have to battle the traffic into Guatemala City. I have time for reflection. What I like the best and what always gives me a boost, remains the photos! Below are photos from our first year students, who have been in Fotokids only four months (5th and 6th graders). Amongst other images, are portraits they did of their mothers for Mother’s Day.
(as usual more photos from the different levels are at the end of this newsletter, I know you’d never skip ahead!)
I want you to know that Evelyn and the Fotokids staff are the driving force, not only in the unning of the programs, day to day, but with everything else…and that’s a lot. Besides teaching, it includes meeting with mothers and planning Saturday workshops for them, running our scholarship program for kids with different needs going to different schools, keeping track and utilizing fundraising data, social media, and making videos including the monthly update, writing up class evaluations and monthly reports of family visits, targeting kids that need extra help or food, IRS letters for donors and the list goes on. This with only 5 staff in the City and 6 in Santiago, backed up by two of our university scholarship students working as teacher’ aids.
I know I am so fortunate to have this incredible team, who consider Fotokids a vocation, feeling the need to give back in appreciation for the opportunities they have had. Not only that, they are creatives and highly motivated go-getters.
I am going to quote from Evelyn’s Executive Director’s Report that she wrote to the Fotokids Board throughout this newsletter in italics to give you an idea of what I mean.
Our city students took a trip to the Rosas Botrán Gallery, where they had the chance to explore and reflect on a wide range of artwork. These outings are thoughtfully planned by our teachers, who provide students with observation guides and use questions to spark discussion, including short surveys about what they see and how it makes them feel. Beyond simply viewing art, these experiences open the door to all kinds of creative expression. They help students appreciate professional work, discover different artistic techniques, deepen their cultural understanding, and most importantly — get inspired and stay motivated.
Or this, where Evelyn speaks of how in Santiago Atitlán the kids are studying product photography and product advertising.
The students learned to give and receive feedback, apply editing techniques, and even related fictional client briefs using ChatGPT They explored the world of advertising photography and its role in marketing, learning how to use natural light, composition, and post-production tools like Photoroom and AI apps to create lifestyle and food photography.
In the City, Fotokids has made an alliance with a Sony distributor, Picacia, that is giving teachers Emelyn and Yamilett a 4 week workshop in food styling. This made me smile remembering when I studied studio work and how at the time food photography was unregulated. We were taught to put brown shoe polish on chickens to keep them looking golden brown (but moist and plump) and whipping egg whites to appear as foam on the “glycerin”-sweating glasses of beer.
During this quarter’s special projects, it was inspiring to have an old friend and noted NYC photographer, Chris Vail, coming to give a workshop on the use on the technique of using color as a point of emphasis in a black and white photograph. I hosted a 2 day workshop for staff and advanced students at my house in Antigua, supported by Rocio’s excellent guidance and supervision, and well assisted by Emelyn.
It was an energizing experience. The kids were motivated and into working diligently. This was a meticulous technique that required a lot of detailed work and focus. In the evening, taking a break, we walked to Antigua’s central park. It was Easter season (month long duration here) and we wandered, mingling amongst evening strollers in the twinkling lights of the park’s fountain and the 18th century buildings. It was magical.
You know, where the kids and staff live in Guatemala City, it is so dangerous at night that no one goes out. Because we are closer to the Equator, darkness falls all year round at 6:30 or so. Therefore, experiencing the freedom of just being able to meander, listen to the band on the Cathedral steps, or being able to break off from the group and take a photo, made everyone a bit… euphoric.
We repeated the workshop in Santiago Atitlán and although I wasn’t surprised, I was pleased that the staff and advanced students really took to it there as well. We are, of course, working on Chris to get him back to give another workshop. He has been supportive for many years, mailing us our first Mac in 1996 (when Guatemala had a postal service), training us on said Mac, as well as, buying and delivering 70 chickens to families throughout the city one Christmas Eve. We stayed on for Easter week and the ceremonies were, as usual, saturated with Fotokids. The younger ones, with their silver point and shoots were everywhere, proudly wearing their red photo ID badges and muscling into any crowd to to get the shot.
One year when I was in the church photographing, there was this one photo I really wanted to get. It was after the crucifixion, when they took down the articulated Christ from the cross to place in the glass coffin. Instead of using incense for the ritual purification of Christ’s body, a half dozen men began spraying huge cans of room deodorizer I suppose air-spray was more efficient, not to mention more pungent than incense. I couldn’t get close. Access was purposely blocked off by an overturned pew. By my side a little Fotokid pops out of nowhere, smiles, casually says “Hola Señora Nancy,” and at the same time slithers under the bench to get that very shot.
During Easter week in the city meanwhile, a tragedy was unfolding. This from
Evelyn’s Report:
Like any deeply human work, this journey brings moments of celebration, laughter, pride, and inspiration— but also moments of sorrow that shake us to our core. One of those devastating moments came in April, during Holy Week, when we tragically lost one of our students from the vocational group, Keny.
At just 15 years old, Keny had joined Fotokids last year and quickly became part of our community. He lived with his grandmother, who had custody after his mother lost parental rights due to severe alcoholism. During the holiday, his grandmother, afraid of the dangers that often arise during public holidays, asked him to stay home.
But on Easter Sunday, his mother unexpectedly arrived and invited Keny, his sister, and their cousins to a nearby river. While playing in the water, Keny became trapped in thick underwater vegetation. Despite efforts to help, he drowned. Hours later, in thick underwater vegetation. Despite efforts to help, he drowned. Hours later, rescue teams recovered his body.
The news broke all of our hearts. Staff members attended both the viewing and the funeral, and we were able to offer a small donation to his grandmother to help cover the funeral expenses
At Fotokids, beyond the cameras, the lessons, and the exhibitions, lies the true essence of our work: the lives of the children we serve. Every staff member holds close the privilege of being part of their journey — not just as educators, but as caring adults who walk alongside them in moments of joy, challenge, and transformation. It is a gift we do not take for granted.
Berlin and I, along with teacher, Melissa Guerra, finished out this elementary school year with children from a depressed agricultural area of Florida funded by the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. The kid’s come from a town that has a poverty rate of 34.6% and one of the highest crime rates in Florida.
The students did photographic work around their identity and community in an eight lesson program. Kravis will be renewing our contract again when school starts in August and an exhibition of the kids’ work from 2023-24 will be on display at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach this autumn.
This past week we were delighted to welcome Ricardo Partida, the Educational Director from the Bronx Documentary Center, who visited our schools, both in the City and in Santiago Atitlán. We highly value everything about our partnership with the BDOC and its inspiring founder, Mike Kamber.
The Design4 Kids, photography teacher’s workshop will be in November (10th-15th). Please consider bringing your photo talents to this week-long workshop (we help you make a teaching plan if you want). Spanish helpful but we do have translators. info@fotokidsoriginal.org
We are very grateful to all of you who helped out with the Fundraiser! If you missed it, We can always use your help!
