“The suburb of Agbogbloshie in Ghana’s capital, Accra, has in recent years become a dumping ground for computers and electronic waste from Europe and the US. Of the 20 to 50 million tons of electronics discarded each year 70% will end up in poor nations, and in the EU alone 6.6 million tons of e-waste are unaccounted for every year.”

Children break apart CRT monitors to salvage metal from inside. Many children work at the dump salvaging metals which they sell to middlemen. They do not wear any protective clothing, exposing themselves to lethal doses of hazardous chemicals like mercury and lead.

“The Democratic Republic of Congo remains in turmoil 7 years later after the formal end of the 1998-2003 civil war. The International Rescue Committee estimated that 5.4 million people lost their lives in Congo during the last 10 years.”

IDP’s (internally displaced people) in the town of Kitchanga. People fled their homes in the surrounding area after fighting broke out between government forces and troops loyal to renegade general Laurent Nkunda.

Bio:
Andrew McConnell began his career covering the closing stages of the conflict in Northern Ireland and the transition to peace. He has since worked on stories worldwide, covering events in Europe, Asia and Africa. His work has appeared internationally in the New York Times, the Guardian, FT Magazine, L’Express, Sunday Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Newsweek, Time and National Geographic Magazine.

A couple embrace at one of the traditional 11th night bonfires in Northern Ireland. The bonfires are built by the members of the Protestant community ahead of the July 12 commemoration of William of Orange’s victory over the Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

“The people of Katwe in western Uganda have worked the nearby salt lake for centuries. It is the most important natural resource in the area and the only source of income for many, some 700 men, women and children work in and around the lake everyday.”

Early morning and locals arrive for another day of monotonous toil in the salt pans of Lake Katwe, Uganda.

“Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in May, 1991, after a brutal civil war ended the overthrow of military dictator Siad Barre. For the past 16 years the country has operated as a de facto state with relative stability; it has a constitution, a working political system, government institutions, police and military and its own currency. However, despite its success, no country formally recognizes Somaliland’s sovereignty, which has lead to widespread unemployment, a high poverty rate and a lack of medical aid.”

Mother and daughter are treated for Cholera at Save the Children’s Cholera Treatment Center in Burao.

See more of McConnell’s photography here

posted by: Brent Carter

“Sitting somewhere between high art and retro-pop her work plucks instants from lives that feel like fables, incorporating style and product and storytelling into faded film.” –Matthew Sheret

Ellen Rogers is a London based photographer emphasizing in fashion photography. Through her work, Rogers creates timeless dream worlds where temptresses seduce and lure you into unknown, dark lands. A firm believer in the art of analogue photography, Rogers does not utilize any digital equipment or computer based manipulation (other than scanning the end result) and has developed most techniques through experimentation with traditional darkroom processes.

Ellen Rogers Website
Ellen Rogers Flickr

posted by: Tricia Rock

From the photographer:
“I am Saga.
I am from Iceland but currently live, study and work in London.”

See more of Saga’s work on:
Flickr
The Neverending Story

posted by: Tricia Rock

From Life at the Dump Yard: It is a place that in guaranteed to play havoc with the olfactory glands of the passers-by. The unsightly land with nothing but garbage spread across a vast area, will induce dizziness and a throbbing headache in an average person with in a few minutes. Although the normal instincts of the citizens dictate them to avoid passing the toxic dump yard at all costs, there is a huge group of people who eke out a living from collecting and selling ‘Bhangari’ (broken pieces of junk).

From Take Me Home: Due to Bangladesh’s large population, inadequate seats on the trains and poverty, it is quite common to see a thick layer of people occupying the roof of a train. Frequent accidents, which occur when a free rider slips, are not enough to deter these stowaways of the railway.

Photographer’s Bio:
“‘Today, I count myself blessed, having become a photographer. To be able to articulate the experiences of the voiceless, to bring their  identity to the forefront, gives meaning and purpose to my own life.’

“Akash’s passion for photography began in 1996. He attended the World Press Photo seminar in Dhaka for 3 years and graduated with a BA in Photojournalism from Pathshala, Dhaka. He has received more than 40 international awards from all around the world and his work has been featured in over 50 major international publications including: Time, Sunday Times, Newsweek, Geo, Stern, Der Spiegel, Brand Ein, The Guardian, Marie Claire, Colors, The Economist, The New Internationalist, Kontinente, Amnesty Journal, Courier International, PDN, Die Zeit, Days Japan, Hello, and Sunday Telegraph of London.”

From Vigilantes in Pink: Fed up with abusive husbands and corrupt officials, India’s poorest women are banding together, taking up arms, and fighting back. Even more shocking than the pink saris they wear: Their quest for justice is actually working. In one of the most backward regions of India, the badlands of Central India, village women dressed in pink saris are getting togther to fight corruption and injustice and to raise their voices against the system.

From Living on the Fringe: “Shame Akash ! Don’t show us these pictures. It’s a sin even to look at them.” This was the reaction of Jhomur, my sister-in-law, to my story about a group of homosexual men living in my neighborhood. Her reaction is typical. Religious beliefs and cultural standards of morality make homosexuality an unacceptable abomination in Bangladesh. The kote, as gays are called locally, are ostracized and thus live together in small communities.

From Born to Work: Child labour is not a new issue in Bangladesh. as children remain here one of the most vulnerable groups living under threats of hunger, illiteracy, displacement, exploitation, trafficking, physical and mental abuse. 17.5 percent of total children of the 5-15 age group are engaged in economic activities. Factory owners prefer to employ children as they could pay them less and also able to keep their factories free from trade unionism. A child laborer gets  400 to 700 taka (or roughly 6 to $10) per month, while an adult worker earns up to 5000 taka (or roughly $71) per month.

See more photography by Akash here and here

posted by: Brent Carter

Kunar province, Afghanistan. Survivors of a US airstrike.

Balazs Gardi is a Hungarian freelance photographer, who focuses on documenting 
the everyday life of marginalized communities facing humanitarian crises.

Afghan National Army soldier watches airstrike. Kunar, Afghanistan 2007.

Korengal Valley, Afghanistan 2007

A man smokes heroin in an abandoned house in the nothern province of Balkh.

American soldier collapses in exhaustion. Korengal valley, Afghanistan 2007.

See more of Gardi’s photography here

posted by: Brent Carter