In February of 2020, I had the pleasure of joining The Giving Lens in an all women trip to Oaxaca, Mexico. The Giving Lens is a community of photographers who run international travel photography workshops with a humanitarian twist. During every trip they pair up with a local grassroots NGO by documenting their work and teaching photography.
At the very core of this all-women trip were three amazing purposes:
1. Mano Vuelta - Teaching photography to young indigenous girls from Mano Vuelta, a feminist organzation in a rural town in Oaxaca
2. COMI - Meeting and listening to stories of refugee families coming from other parts of Central America and staying at COMI (The Migrant Orientation Center of Oaxaca)
3. Tlayudona - Meeting and learning from amazing Oaxacan women who invited us to their homes to show us their traditional artisanal work through Tlayudona, a local tour company that focuses on cultural experiences.
The gallery below contains all three incredible experiences thanks to The Giving Lens.
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Mano Vuelta
We paired up with Mano Vuelta during our stay in Oaxaca, Mexico. Mano Vuelta is a non-for profit organization that teaches rural and indigenous girls all about being women in today's day and age. We taught these young girls photography for a weekend and donated around 40 cameras to the organization to continue providing photography as an activity and form of expression. It was incredible to see the skills and talents many of them had as soon as they held up their cameras.
Xiacui, Oaxaca, MX. Group picture of all the girls in the workshop.
Sisters showing eachother the images they've taken.
Ruth getting her picture taken by her sister.
"Mira a la camara!" (Look at the camera!)
The instruction was to take a photo of something they love.
The instruction was to take an photo of small details.
Something green
Holding the camera the correct way
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COMI (The Migrant Orientation Center of Oaxaca)
We visited COMI, an organzation in Oaxaca, Mexico, that provides shelter, legal counseling, and other activities for Central American migrants who are making their journey up to the United States or staying in Mexico. We spoke to two families who fled from their native Honduras due to gang violence and threats. This day shook me and my team to our cores and opened our hearts and eyes to a reality we know about through the media and other outlets; however, hearing the stories of two families who are currently living through such difficult moments, right in front of us with raw emotion was heart breaking and a privilege at the same time.
Both families had a child, a 17-year-old girl, and 10-year-old boy, thus we gifted each child a camera. I communicate with Helen, the 17-year-old young girl and her mother through whats-app messages. She dreams of one day becoming a doctor or a photographer.
Mother, Father and 10 year old son.
Mother and 17 year old daughter.
Helen. 17 years old. I have kept in contact with Helen through Whatsapp. Her and mother and her are niw living in Maryland, U.S.
10 year-old boy
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Tlayudona
Tlayudona is a women-operated tour company with a different approach to typical tourism. Tourists experience local culture by meeting people who maintain their traditions. Every single day we were invited into the homes of amazing women who live and breathe Oaxacan culture through their artisanal work.
Dancers, each representing a different town in Oaxaca, MX.
Sofia, originally from Huatla de Jimenez, Oaxaca, MX.
These beautiful young girls from Oaxaca, posed for our cameras and talked about their hometowns, dances, and traditional clothing with so much pride and love.
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Dona Josefina, showing us the traditional craft of weaving.
Weaving is a whole-body art.
Dona Josefina and her son showing us the process of making the colored inks.
Dona Josefina's mother
She helps with the brushing and untangling of the wool.
Dona Josefina invited us to her home to observe and learn the process of traditional textile production. She showed us the steps to weaving and creating dye from natural fruits and plants. Dona Josefina has taught her son and daughter in law the works and now has her family working with her, including her 80-year old mother. She has faced challenges from her town's community leaders throughout her journey of starting and maintaining a woman-owned company, but she admirably surpasses them all with dedication and perseverance.
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Dona Sosima's Mezcal brand - FaneKantsini
Dona Sosima, an admirable woman from Oaxaca, Mexico who against all odds created her own Mezcal brand.
Dona Sosima is an incredible woman from a town in the outskirts of Oaxaca, who owns her very own Mezcal brand, FaneKantsini. With hard work and dedication she has faced and overcome unbelievable challenges for a being a woman not only doing a 'man's job', but being the face of a liquor perceived to be for men. The strength, positive energy and passion with which she spoke about Oaxaca's signature liquor was palpable and contagious.
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Mother and daughter hand painting figurines.
Curious child peaking outside as his family crafts in front of a group of photographers.
This beautiful family invited us to their home to show us their artisanal work of figurines made out of clay.
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Flor Canton excitedly took us around the city and shared her knowledge on Oaxaca's architecture.
Flor is an architect in the city of Oaxaca. She showed us around while lovingly speaking about the architecture of her native city. She also invited us to a building she is working on in the city center. Thank you Flor!
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https://thegivinglens.com/
http://tlayudona.com.mx/
https://manovuelta.org/web/
https://www.comioaxaca.org.mx/