Kigali Memorial Centre

A phrase I always remember my Mother using was Man’s Inhumanity to Man I never knew where this phrase came from until recently (From a Poem by Robert Burns), but she always uses it with reference to tragedies in the world, she has lived in a period of time in the later half of the 20th Century that has seen some great tragedies in which the phrase becomes very appropriate.
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Saidia Orphanage

As part of our overland tour we stopped off at one of the charities our tour company support, it is the first time I have visited an orphanage. It was a strange feeling, being surrounded by around 60 children who are all unwanted or mistreated by there parents and abandoned. Try and get your head around that, the people who bring you into this world leave you, abandoned and alone, and we are not just talking about teenagers but children as young as 1! I still cannot get my head around it!
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Jamii Bora

I have been interested and involved with Microfinance (MF) for some years now. It all started in 2008 when I attended a lecture at a Wall Street firm that had brought two peers of MF to its offices. Muhammad Yunus, seen as the godfather of MF, from Bangladesh and founder of Grameen Bank and Ingrid Munro, the godmother or ‘Mama’ of Kenyan MF and Founder of Jamii Bora.
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A New Gallery - A New Day, A New Photograph

So I have decided to create a gallery that has on display one photograph from each day of our travels together on this amazing journey. This gives me a project to work on and also keeps me quiet for a hour or so ;0)

The photographs vary in style, but they aim to show a fresh look at the world and the places we visit and the people we meet along the way.

I will not be uploading each day so don't get your hopes up too much, but more likely you will see batches uploaded as we travel! It is harder than you think to photograph everyday, but after 3 weeks on the road here is the first batch

/galleries/1-day-1-photograph/

I hope you enjoy them!

 

Coming Home

So it’s been 2 weeks since I left work and about a week and a half since I left New York, so far so good! It’s been a little strange so far not thinking about working or worrying about going back, it stills feels like a normal holiday, but I think once we arrive in Turkey the reality of the Journey will kick in!
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Out of the Office

Friday 26th August 2011, I left the office at 5.30pm, it was a sad day as I had been working in the same department for 4 years, the longest of my tenure at the Firm. There are some good memories and great banter that won’t be forgotten and also my desk buddies, who got to know my every quirk over the years! There is also one more reason for sadness in leaving the department, Why? Because that is where I met my girlfriend and traveling companion, who shares my hopes and dreams in this big adventure!
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Packing...

Not only have we been shopping for our extensive travel list, We have been packing our backpacks! That was the easy part, now we are packing the Apartment, how much stuff can you get into a Manhattan Mini Storage Unit!?! 26 boxes, 1 Deer's Head and counting.....1/5 of which are dedicated to Steph's clothes, Shoes and Bags!

 

New Gallery Partnership with prints995

Francis Minien is pleased to announce the offering of 9 prints available exclusively through prints995.com, as limited editions for sale.

prints995 is an online photography gallery and retail site powered by gallery nine5, a contemporary art gallery located steps away from the flourishing art scene of Downtown Manhattan.

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Changing Ideas, India Workshop Kolkata

Francis Minien will be travelling to Kolkata India to attend a Changing Ideas workshop that helps photographers and charities turn humanitarian ideas into reality.

The workshop is aimed at photographers who share an interest in documentary photography for humanitarian purposes and to advance human rights and social justice.

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