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Discover the World: Exhibition and Programme Series

03/01/2018

Several members of our Association have spent varying lengths of time in different African countries – some doing volunteer work, others conducting research, and some coordinating missions or various projects.

In 2016, our Association entered into a strategic partnership with the Jacaranda Foundation. The Foundation runs a primary and secondary school in Malawi, where over four hundred orphaned children receive free education. At the school, 98% of the children have been orphaned due to AIDS, and many of them are HIV-positive. The Foundation provides education, meals, and healthcare – all entirely free of charge. The school's founder, Marie DaSilva (a CNN Hero), leads one of the country's most highly respected and internationally recognised charitable organisations.

Our Association has supported the Foundation for several years – for instance, in 2015, we donated over 3,000 English-language books to the school. These books now enrich the Jacaranda School's library. In addition to donations, one of our members regularly visits the Foundation, offering voluntary help (in 2016, for example, she made a short film about the everyday life of the orphaned children studying there). Our Association also launched a major tree-planting programme in the region, which began in the autumn of 2016 and continues to this day.

The guest of honour at our event series was Cecilia Khofi, Miss Malawi. Alongside the exhibition, a series of lectures was held, where Miss Malawi gave presentations about the African country of Malawi, focusing particularly on education and the everyday life of young people. During the talks and the exhibition itself, we aim to answer the questions that many Hungarian people have about developing countries.

The idea for this exhibition arose from our regular visits to the Foundation and the ongoing relationship with the "Jacaranda orphans". The exhibition allows visitors to see life in Malawi through the eyes of those who live there.

Africa Exhibition – Photos by Jacaranda Students

In the autumn of 2017, one of our members, Ilona Asztalos, undertook a six-week mission to teach the basics of photography at the Jacaranda School. As part of the programme, our Association donated cameras to the Foundation, which Ilona used to teach photography to the orphaned children attending the school.

The exhibition showcases the everyday lives and culture of the Malawian people. Our aim is to broaden the horizons of visitors regarding distant cultures. Out of the 24 photos on display, four were taken by Ilona, while the remaining twenty are the work of the children.

Photographs by the following 11 students are featured in the exhibition:

  • Chikumbutso Mbewe

  • Christopher Chabwe

  • Collinz Kam'mwamba

  • Daniel July

  • Enoch Chilombo

  • Innocent Phiri

  • Kizito Katambo

  • Labana Swadick

  • Laston Sungani

  • Mwayi Jande

  • Pemphero Chiwaya

The exhibition material will be presented as a travelling exhibition in various secondary schools and galleries across the country.

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