Today, 1 in 9 people around the world still don’t have clean water close to home, and 1 in 3 have no toilet. Raising awareness of this crisis needs images with both impact and understanding.
The Water Effect collects work by Joey Lawrence (Taylor Wessing 2018 Photographic Portrait Prize winner) and Guilhem Alandry, acclaimed photographers commissioned by the international charity WaterAid for two of their fundraising appeals.
Lawrence’s series focuses on the people of Tombohuaun, a remote community in Sierra Leone who had no water, while Alandry’s series celebrates a troupe of travelling performers in Segou, Mali who promote good hygiene.
Through community collaboration, the photographers show people’s lives in the global water crisis with respect and dignity.
Interpreting classic West African photography, subjects are given space to take control of their image and introduce narrative through personal objects, while backdrops reference their unique locations and cultures – from banana leaves in Tombohuaun, to local cloth in Segou.
The Water Effect appeal runs from December 2018 to March 2019.
Visit wateraid.org/uk to donate today
Images below: © WaterAid/ Joey Lawrence and WaterAid/ Guilhem Alandry
