The photographs you see in this body of work were taken in El Salvador, Central America in early July of 2006. As a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, I was given the remarkable opportunity to engage, interact, and work alongside a culture very distant from my own. These are a collection of images that I feel provide a peek at the souls of the Salvadoran people – the honesty, the integrity, and the essence of a culture that continues to struggle, to fight, and to reconcile the effects of a post-war nation. That being said, I have yet to meet a more generous, welcoming, and compassionate group of human beings.
Some of the children you see photographed were displaced, orphaned, and abandoned after the 12-year war in El Salvador and are now residents of a children’s village in Zaragoza called The Community of Oscar A. Romero (COAR). Our volunteer group visited this village and shared in laughter, tears, and pure joy with these children. I was forever touched by our time at COAR and will be sending 10% of the proceeds from your print purchases back to this village.
I have named this body of work FACES – For All the Children of El Salvador.