Based on an interview by Photo Life Magazine
You can read the full article in the June/July issue of Photo Life Magazine: www.photolife.com

After 20 years of experience in advertising, editorial and fine-art photography, what motivated Daniel Malka to switch his focus to creating and developing this project?

The first thing that comes to my mind is life and passion, the second is a sentence by Albert Camus “Despite appearances, my main occupation has always been love”.
In the last 6 years, my focus has been more on personal projects focused on my humble humanistic approach to aesthetics and social environment.
This new trajectory was set by my first project called VOYAGE, an internal as well as an external analysis one on our basic human values, through a journey in the Moroccan Sahara.
En La Sombra Del Tiempo, in Mexico, is inspired by a love story and the theory that everything hit by light projects a shadow, even time.
A journey through a multicultural, often hidden and forgotten Mexico struggling against corruption and using as their main weapon their sense of culture, kindness and humanism.
My last and ongoing project Dance Me To The End Of Love, is a document, a story of my daily life and vision of close surroundings shot with an old iPhone, in order for the imperfections, colors and style to symbolize a roller coaster of daily emotions and a journey through memories, grief and healing.

The Project is the sum of my life experiences as a photographer, a humanist, a father and a professor

The presence of millions of images on the web, is diluting the ability of creative thinking, the sense of aesthetics and story telling of the next generation. I believe that technology should remain a means to communicate and not a goal. Communication and creativity in the human sense of the word, are key to our survival and well being as compassionate human beings.

My experience as a father, has taught me that by encouraging creative thinking, it opened the doors not only to creativity, but to analysis, aesthetics and understanding in all fields ranging from science to music and art.
My experience as a photography professor to adult students, has opened my eyes on how much resistance can be encountered to a creative process and how thick the walls of the box built by our often outdated education system can be.
Finally, my experience as a man, has taught me that not all that is under the sun, shines.

I am not politically inclined, but I believe naively in social justice, freedom and equality not only between human beings, but all living beings.

I decided to play a part, as small as it may be in creating a small social change, by helping children develop creative thinking and story telling through photography, learn new skills, build a network with no language barriers, and bring awareness from their point on their condition.

The project was developed to teach photography to youth between the ages of seven and fifteen, a critical stage of development, since these children are most at risk of abuse, injustice and poverty. Bringing global awareness from their point of view will also help various NGO’s and encourage private, corporate donors to help these children.

2.What is the most important goal of the project?

It is quite difficult to tag only one single goal as being the most important. It is a complex combination of inter-related elements.
However if I had to pick one, I would say, give all the children of the world an equal right to speech, self-expression that will bring them global notice and get them help through various channels, in in getting education, medical care, food, water, clothing, as well as creating a community of young photographers and story tellers around the globe.

3.How do you choose which local community groups, organizations and NGOs to collaborate with? Can you give an example of how your collaboration with local groups works?

The NGO’s and communities are chosen through referrals, personal contacts and interviews. They are mostly small grass root NGO’s with very low administrative costs, which allows them to distribute the maximum funds possible to the groups they help.
We also look at the type of work they do, and their closeness to the communities we want to work with. We all share the same goal; help children.
For our first project in Peru, we have connected through personal references, people on the ground that have already distributed help to communities in Peru. We based our mission on the needs of these communities that are at every humanistic level. It’s the “How They See” project.

3.How do you choose which local community groups, organizations and NGOs to collaborate with? Can you give an example of how your collaboration with local groups works?

The NGO’s and communities are chosen through referrals, personal contacts and interviews. They are mostly small grass root NGO’s with very low administrative costs, which allows them to distribute the maximum funds possible to the groups they help.
We also look at the type of work they do, and their closeness to the communities we want to work with. We all share the same goal, to help children
For our first project in Peru, we have connected through personal references, people on the ground that have already distributed help to communities in Peru. We based our mission on the needs of these communities that are at every humanistic level. It’s the “How They See” project. The contact is made directly with the community’s leader and the program is explained to the parents. Once on the ground, we meet with the groups for our first direct brief of the program. The parents help, collaboration and contribution is essential.

4.Are representatives from the Daniel Malka Photo Project on the ground at each location to teach/work/etc? Or do they train the local instructors without contact with the children?

Photographers from the countries of origin are recruited on a screening of skills, portfolio, experience, ability to communicate, work with children, experience and rules of ethics.
Daniel Malka trains them on the ground through the whole program, while he is working with the groups. He believes it’s the best way to train participating photographers in order to continue the work in the country and in turn train other photographers wanting a social change.

5.What do you hope to achieve through the exhibitions of the young photographers’ work? Where will the exhibitions be?

The young photographers work will be exhibited in in participating galleries, in their respective countries and around the globe. It will also be exhibited online.
NGO’s participation will be crucial in this process, as the work will help all humanitarian groups helping children globally.
It will help us join our efforts in raising funds by showing the reality that surrounds these children from their point of view.

6.The website mentions income being re-directed back to the communities. Where does this income come from?
The income will come from private, corporate donations, sponsorships and foundations. It will also come from licensing photos, books, as well as Daniel Malka’s current and passed work sales that go entirely to the project since January 2012. Moreover, photo licensing funds will go to the young photographer and family.

7.What kind of response have you had to the initiative (from the youth and local communities, but also from international communities)?

Although the program is very young, the interest shown has been overwhelming at times. We are currently developing contacts in Canada with social workers in order to help various groups of children. We are as active as we can in promoting the project through word of mouth, social networking and interviews like this one. We currently have contacts and open doors in Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Kenya, Cameroon, Burundi, Columbia, Spain, Romania and the list is constantly growing. The Project has been very well received in Peru for example by the community leaders and parents of the How They See project.

8.Have there been any surprises or particular challenges encountered in developing the program?

So far the biggest challenge has been raising funds. Having said that, our launch show from March 11 th, online galleries has generated some funds from private donations and Fine Art Photo Sales. It’s only a question of time. The response so far is good and we are currently waiting for answers from various sponsorship requests. Daniel Malka is basically financing the How They See project from his own funds.

Although we are well prepared and structured, we certainly will encounter challenges on the ground, but like any operation or photo production, we are ready to solve issues as they appear.
We are still in the process of building this operation, as any other humanitarian group has told us, it’s not easy, but then again what is.
So far the hard work and dedication of the volunteer team has made everything fall into place. We are confident of the success of the project.

9.What are your goals for the future of the program?

Bring global awareness from the childrens point of view on their condition and environment, in order to help them and enable them to create a social change for them as well as their communities, respecting their cultural identity.
Encourage creative thinking and vision as a form of free expression, education and aesthetics.
Create a network of young photographers documenting from all corners of the globe, their issues, use the power of imagery and new media in order to inform us, from within, on abuse, injustice and poverty.
Unite children in one voice and vision with no language barriers, in order to bring some change and remind us of our basic human values and that we are all responsible, because we can all help one way or another.

Encourage creative thinking and humanitarian actions by the photographers joining us in educating the children and developing the program.

10. How can our readers help support this project? Are there particular guidelines about the types of cameras, memory cards or laptops that you accept? Do you use volunteers for anything ?

All digital cameras are welcome, from point and shoot to to DSLRs. Memory cards, SD or Flash from 1G and up. Laptops,PC or Macs that are able to run Lightroom or Bridge.
We are looking for photographers based in Cameroon, volunteers with NGO experience social networking experts and Fund Raising consultants.
General Volunteers can also send their resume.

USEFUL LINKS TO SUPPORT THE PROJECT:

All the latest info can be found on our website and our Facebook Page
We will need photographers interested in humanitarian missions in the following countries: Mexico, Burundi, Cameroon, Kenya, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Spain, and all provinces in Canada, as new projects emerge constantly.
Please send your resumes trough our Careers Link

To contribute Cameras, funds, or become a friend, sponsorships

Our Current HOW THEY SEE fund raising campaign

For all other detailed information including Universities, NGO’s, Foundations and Press communications
Please contact Laura Carli: lcarli@malkaphotoproject.org

Finally I want to thank all the people, friends and my dear team mates for making all this possible.
Special Thanks to Jenny and Photo Life Magazine.