Kate Lambe, an independent photographer, is holding an exhibition to raise awareness about Denan, a small village in southern Ethiopia and to generate funding for “The Denan Project”, a foundation which is assisting people there.

The exhibition will be held in Galleri Korn, Hornsgatan 147, Stockholm, T-Hornstull. Exhibition opening on April 26th, 2007 at 5.00pm. The exhibition will run until May 3rd, 2007.

All the photorgraphs on display at the exhibition are for sale and all the proceeds will go to The Denan Project.

1) This assortment of colourful fabric and unique patterns is characteristic of traditional clothing in Denan. Typically, the sewing and finishing of garments is undertaken by men.

2) Although most villagers wear traditional attire, donated clothes never go to waste.

3) The people of Denan take pride in their homes; the few possessions this family have are elegantly displayed.

4) It takes resourcefulness and ingenuity to survive in Denan; here, used tins have been utilized to build a door.

5) This detail shows how food aid containers are recycled and integrated into the outer structure of peoples’ homes.

6) Crops can flourish if conditions are favourable. However, droughts are occuring more frequently in the region and there is a constant undertone of worry that there will not be enough food to feed ones’ family.

7) When people do manage to grow crops, they must contend with the constant menace of scavanging animals; this ‘scare-hyena’ helps to ward off this threat.

8) Maize is a locally grown staple food.

9) Two children amuse themselves outside the clinic by playing a ‘World Cup’ tournament.

10) The boys use a berry (known locally as a qalfoon) as a football. Despite their lack of proper equipment, they are proud to show off their football skills.

11) The two guards at the clinic have just received their brand new uniforms.

12) Through the suppert of The Denan Project, the pharmacist at the clinic manages to keep some medicine on the the pharmacy shelves.

13) This young boy was severely malnourished and had tuberculosis. Since the clinic was ill-equipped to treat him, he was sent to the nearest hospital – a four-hour drive away, over very hostile terrain. Unfortunately he passed away just a few weeks later.

14) This woman works as a cleaner at the clinic. Although women in Denan are allowed to work, they are still victims of opression and unequal rights.

15) From a very young age, girls are expected to walk long distances and carry heavy loads in order to provide their families with water, which is often unsanitary.

16) This woman, aged sixty, has surpassed the life-expectancy of 48 in this region. She is smiling but is self-conscious about her few remaining teeth.

Purchasing Photographs

All photographs on display are for sale and can be ordered online. All proceeds go directly to the Denan Project. Prices do not include postage and packaging. See contact details below for purchasing photographs.

16 x 20 inches
€200 Framed and Mounted
€35 Print Only

24 x 32 inches
€350 Framed and Mounted
€60 Print Only

All sizes include white boarder.

Make a Donation

If you would like to make a donation to the Denan Project, please lodge it to the account below.

Allied Irish Bank
Artane Branch
Dublin

Account Name: The Denan Project
Account Number: 26915000
IBAN Number: IE05AIBK932078

About Denan

Denan is extremely isolated and life there is very difficult. Due to recent, repeated drought, Denan has been on the brink of famine for the last decade and this is set to continue. Due to political tension in the region, the people of Denan receive little outside assistance. During the dry seasons, which are becoming longer and longer, the people depend on water deliveries, but these have become less frequent, leaving the village in a precarious situation. Food aid deliveries have been cut back and the Red Cross recently pulled their people out of the area after one of their international aid workers was kidnapped. This has placed increased pressure on the people of Denan who feel more cut off from the rest of the world than ever. They feel like nobody knows they exist.

In June of last year, Fiona and Kate Lambe traveled to Denan with a foundation called “The Denan Project”, one of the few humanitarian agencies assisting the people there. Their intention was to take photographs of the people and the village, which could somehow be used to grab attention and raise some money for The Denan Project back in Ireland and Sweden.

When they left Denan last June, they were leaving behind many friends and a promise that they would tell people in Ireland and in Sweden that they exist

The exhibition in Dublin is the result of this trip, and will feature 16 images of Denan and its people. The aim of this exhibition is to illustrate the hardships in Denan, but also to show the strength and resilience of the people there. Both aims are equally important.

How the Exhibition will help Denan

All of the photographs on display at the exhibition are for sale and all proceeds will go the The Denan Project. There will be a donation 'bucket' on the opening night and donations will be greatly appreciated, whatever the amount. The Denan Project uses OWDA, an Ethiopian registered Non Governmental Organisation, to implement the projects. So basically, the money that is raised and received by the Denan Project is transferred to OWDA who use it to buy what they need for the projects in Denan. These projects include supplying medicines and health care to a field clinic in Denan, the construction of a water pipeline to provide a constant supply of water to the village and an agricultural extension and inputs program to train farmers on the latest farming techniques and to provide them with tools and drought resistant crops.

Key Messages of the Exhibition

• Life in Denan is not easy and the people there are marginalisedand overlooked. They desperately need outside assistance.
• Despite their problems, they are very proud, creative, innovative,strong and resourceful.
• We want people to feel something when they look at the photos - torelate to the people and to feel some empathy (which will hopefullyencourage them to donate).
• We want people to leave the exhibition knowing where Denan is, whatproblems people face and how they can help - we want people to learn something.

About the Denan Project

The Denan Project, Inc. is a 501 (C) (3) non-profit foundation incorporated in the State of Connecticut in the United States of America. Although based in the U.S.A., its vision is global. Unlike many other nonprofits, the Denan Project adheres to a high standard known as Transparency in Giving. All financial records are professionally audited, and the project ensures that 100% of the funds donated go toward helping the people of Denan. To assist in helping the people of Denan, the Project has partnered with the Ogaden Welfare and Development Association, an Ethiopian nongovernmental organization (NGO) that manages the operation of the hospital in Denan.

Initially, the Denan Project was founded to provide qualified medical care to the people of Denan Ethiopia for the first time. The hospital is the only free acute medical care in the Ogaden region which is populated by 4 million people.

The Denan Project is now funding a project to provide a water pipeline to the people of the greater Denan area, as well as an agricultural extension program to provide training and tools so that local farmers can begin to grow drought resistant crops.

About OWDA

The Ogaden Welfare and Development Association (OWDA) is an Ethiopian registered NGO working to improve the lives of the people of the Ogaden region in the Somali Regional State, southern Ethiopia. The main objectives of OWDA are:

• To improve the living condition of most marginalized and disadvantaged pastoral community of the Somali Region.
• To build the capacities of the poor pastoral people to withstand the environmental and man made shocks and be self-supportive, working together with the community by providing strategic organizational leadership and seeking meaningful grassroots community participation
• Fostering and enhancing the accessibility of health care and sanitation for the pastoral children and women.
• Developing and improving the educational sector
• Increasing water availability for the pastoral community and improving water quality
• To organize and conduct short and long training courses.

Contact Us

If you are interested in purchasing any of the photographs displayed here, or would like any further information regarding Denan and the exhibition, please contact us:

Kate Lambe: katelambe@gmail.com
Fiona Lambe: fionalambe@gmail.com

Links

For more information on the Denan Project, go to http://www.thedenanproject.com/