Arts, Community, People

Vision for Empowerment: Kolkata Photography Project

Sarah Kathleen

June 16, 2015

Come fall, local photographer Sarah Annay Williamson, of Sarah Annay Photography, is embarking on a journey to Kolkata, India. Here she will be teaching a four-week photography class to 10 young women who are survivors of trafficking and other human rights abuses. The focus of the project is education in the arts and providing a therapeutic outlet for women who have experienced severe abuse.

“I have been blessed with many opportunities in my life—as a professional artist, an educator and a female business owner—and I want to share the gift of photography with young women that have not been given the same opportunities,” said Williamson.

The women chosen for Williamson to work with for this project have expressed an interest in the arts and are between the ages of 15 and 25. “Some are survivors of trafficking and others are ‘at-risk’ and live in the red-light district area,” she said.

These young women have been rescued and given education and employment opportunities by a St. Augustine-based nonprofit, Made By Survivors. Made By Survivors began in 2005 and was founded by fellow local resident Sarah Symons. Symons was previously a full-time musician and after seeing a film on human trafficking, flew to India and Nepal to see how she could get involved. Together, Symons and her husband have dedicated their lives to freeing trafficked women and children—and keeping them free.

Sarah Symons, founder of Made By Survivors

After Williamson crossed paths with Symons and learned about the work she was doing abroad, she found herself inspired to become involved with her efforts. From here, the idea for the Vision for Empowerment project was born.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

According to Williamson, the title of the project, Vision for Empowerment, reflects both the photography itself, and the project goal of empowerment through visual arts. The program objective is to not only equip the girls with technical skills, showing them how to manually use a camera, perform basic edits, and print, but providing them the ability and inspiration to pick up the camera and use it to share their own unique stories.

Although Williamson’s three main objectives for the project are education, healing and reflection, the title of the project was simplified with the word vision. The overarching vision being, “For these girls to learn new skills, use photography as a form of therapy and be able to reflect by sharing their visual narratives with the world,” said Williamson.

Williamson’s original hope was to secure a Nikon sponsorship that would cover the cost of the camera equipment needed for the project. Due to the number of applications, Williamson didn’t receive the sponsorship this time. Instead of feeling discouraged, she immediately turned to fundraising within her community and shifted her focus.

“The cameras we are purchasing for the girls will be perfect and are smaller, which may be beneficial for when we are out in the streets doing street photography,” she said. “I have always felt that smaller cameras are less obtrusive and make better photographs when out in the world.”

Following the project’s completion, Williamson plans to share the resulting images here locally in St. Augustine and beyond. “I will be connecting with galleries when I return. And the St. Augustine Film Society has already reached out to us about displaying images during their trafficking event next year,” said Williamson. While she can’t say for sure where the project will take her from here, Williamson knows that the project won’t end with her inaugural trip. This is only the beginning.

HOW TO HELP

Williamson is seeking to raise a total of $8,500 by July 1, to cover airfare, accommodations, educational supplies, and $5,000 worth of camera equipment. To help raise funds for her project and spread awareness for the work that Made by Survivors is doing, Williamson is hosting a silent auction, Thursday night, June 18, at DOS Coffee & Wine at 300 San Marco, from 6-8 p.m. All money raised will go toward the Vision for Empowerment Project.

Williamson has collected $5,000 worth of items donated from local businesses for the event. There will be live music and hors d’oeuvres.If you would like to sponsor a woman and provide a tax-deductible donation of $500 to purchase her a camera kit, visit madebysurvivors.com/donate. You can learn more about the project and donate any other amount to Williamson’s Go Fund Me campaign here.