The Star (Malaysia)
EACH of us selected a theme for our photo essays, after which we were sent out daily into the field to create images. At night our tutors edited and critiqued our pictures. The next day we were out again. It was extremely different from the usual classes and lectures. We had to learn independently.
My favourite shot: Mert Bert struggling with his prosthetic leg as he prepares to go home. His father, Moeuth, can only look on helplessly. Mert has to be able to fasten the leg himself. Inset: Bert in a pensive mood.
I chose to photograph life at Handicap International, a Belgian non-governmental organisation that has been helping the Cambodian people since 1982 to recover from decades of conflict.
At the centre, I made friends with Mert Bert, 12, from the Phrea Villea province about 150km from Siem Reap, near the Thai border. He lost his right leg after an illness when he was four, and has lost out on many things non-disabled children take for granted, simple things like running around, playing football, shooting hoops.
Pain always shadows Mert’s physical therapy. ‘It’s not a part of me, it doesn’t feel real,’ he said of his artifical leg once, teary-eyed after a particularly painful session. He’d rather use crutches. But the leg allows him more freedom of movement, something Mert will no doubt appreciate as he grows older.
His parents, who are farmers, have not been able to provide Mert with much, as they are poor and there are all together six children to feed.
Mert allowed me to follow him around as he went about his therapy after he qualified for a prosthetic leg sponsored by the centre. At the time (Nov 20), he had been there for two weeks.
Real legs and artificial ones: Bert and other children resting by a wall.
We could barely converse as he didn’t speak much English and I didn’t know any Khmer, the Cambodian language, but that didn’t stop us from trying to communicate with each other!
A morning shower with the leg parked outside. Somehow, no matter how realistically it has been made, it still looks like an alien object.
Like the others who have lost limbs, Mert had to endure hours of painful therapy like climbing around steel bars and walking across a “bridge” to learn to regain his sense of balance and get used to his new leg.
Exercise time for the young boy.
It was heartbreaking to watch such a young child experience so much pain. I hope my images convey at least a fraction of the strength and spirit of children like Mert.
War only harms the innocents like Mert. Every year, over 800 Cambodians fall victim to landmines and unexploded ordnance buried in the land. There were 900 explosions in 2004. These silent weapons continue to make Cambodia a country with the highest number of amputees in the world.
He ain’t heavy, he’s my new friend: Mert helping a child who has just started rehabilitation at the centre.
Azhar Mahfof, 28, joined The Star in 2003. He won the Malaysian Press Institute’s Best Media Photo award last year.
My favourite shot: Mert Bert struggling with his prosthetic leg as he prepares to go home. His father, Moeuth, can only look on helplessly. Mert has to be able to fasten the leg himself. Inset: Bert in a pensive mood.I chose to photograph life at Handicap International, a Belgian non-governmental organisation that has been helping the Cambodian people since 1982 to recover from decades of conflict.
At the centre, I made friends with Mert Bert, 12, from the Phrea Villea province about 150km from Siem Reap, near the Thai border. He lost his right leg after an illness when he was four, and has lost out on many things non-disabled children take for granted, simple things like running around, playing football, shooting hoops.
Pain always shadows Mert’s physical therapy. ‘It’s not a part of me, it doesn’t feel real,’ he said of his artifical leg once, teary-eyed after a particularly painful session. He’d rather use crutches. But the leg allows him more freedom of movement, something Mert will no doubt appreciate as he grows older.His parents, who are farmers, have not been able to provide Mert with much, as they are poor and there are all together six children to feed.
Mert allowed me to follow him around as he went about his therapy after he qualified for a prosthetic leg sponsored by the centre. At the time (Nov 20), he had been there for two weeks.
Real legs and artificial ones: Bert and other children resting by a wall.We could barely converse as he didn’t speak much English and I didn’t know any Khmer, the Cambodian language, but that didn’t stop us from trying to communicate with each other!
A morning shower with the leg parked outside. Somehow, no matter how realistically it has been made, it still looks like an alien object.Like the others who have lost limbs, Mert had to endure hours of painful therapy like climbing around steel bars and walking across a “bridge” to learn to regain his sense of balance and get used to his new leg.
Exercise time for the young boy.It was heartbreaking to watch such a young child experience so much pain. I hope my images convey at least a fraction of the strength and spirit of children like Mert.
War only harms the innocents like Mert. Every year, over 800 Cambodians fall victim to landmines and unexploded ordnance buried in the land. There were 900 explosions in 2004. These silent weapons continue to make Cambodia a country with the highest number of amputees in the world.
He ain’t heavy, he’s my new friend: Mert helping a child who has just started rehabilitation at the centre.Azhar Mahfof, 28, joined The Star in 2003. He won the Malaysian Press Institute’s Best Media Photo award last year.
No comments:
Post a Comment