←︎ All projectsPhoto reportage23 / 30

Macheo – Photo reportage by allkind

A fairer future for children in Kenya.

A boy smiles with his face resting in both hands, a blue door behind him

ClientMacheo

LocationThika, Kenya

Duration2 weeks

BriefPhotography, visual storytelling

Websitemacheo.org ↗︎

ServicesPhotography

Macheo means sunrise.

(01) Challenge

Macheo needed an authentic visual record of its work in Kenya.

(02) Solution

Document its programmes and the everyday lives of young mothers in expressive, honest images.

(03) Result

The photos strengthened Macheo’s public image and inspired supporters worldwide.

Introduction

Macheo means sunrise in Kiswahili. Founded in 2005, the organisation supports vulnerable children and their families in the slums and rural communities around Thika, Kenya.

Each year more than 50,000 children receive help tailored to their situation: health, education, nutrition, protection. It is carried by more than 130 employees, all of them Kenyan.

The brief

Macheo’s brief was clearly defined: to show the positive impact of the organisation, its staff and its work in the communities. The photos were to be clean, clear and authentic, and to cover a wide range of situations and scenarios, showing the full breadth of Macheo’s activities and impact. While the focus is on positive aspects, the brief still leaves room to show different realities that reflect the complexity and context of the communities.

In this piece I deliberately focused on the harsh reality of teenage mothers. Through photography I wanted to reflect the complexity and context of the communities, and also the urgent challenges young mothers in this region face. While the positive impact of Macheo's work was the focus of the brief, we must not forget the realities these women face every day.

All participants were informed openly and transparently about this project with the help of translators. Written consent was obtained from each participant in all cases, to make sure they took part knowingly and voluntarily. As a photographer working on sensitive subjects, I take particular care: the wellbeing and rights of the people always come first for me.

A young woman looks out of a door in a narrow corrugated iron alley

A young mother holds her baby and looks seriously into the camera

Young mothers

In vulnerable communities, teenage pregnancy is one of the leading reasons girls drop out of school. Many young mothers live with stigma, little income and poor access to healthcare.

She lives in the slums with her child.

Inside a hut: corrugated iron roof, a single light bulb, fabric for walls

A heavily pregnant young woman in a blue patterned skirt stands in a dark hut

Until the eighth month

Until the eighth month of her pregnancy she could not see a doctor. Then Macheo helped her.

Black and white portrait of a young woman in front of a corrugated iron wall

Off the street

She lived on the street with her child. Today they live together in the slums.

The young mother sits in the hut with her child on her lap

The mother sits on a mattress on the floor, caring for her child

The mother and her child laugh, the child presses a hand to her cheek

A woman hanging laundry, a wooden beam hides her eyes

A woman in green, seen from behind, stands in a doorway looking outside

A family seen from behind at a wooden fence in front of a corrugated iron hut

Children seen from behind, a seated woman out of focus in the background

A Macheo employee holds a woman's hand, the emergency number is dialled on the smartphone

One call

Macheo encourages her to call if anything happens.

Adults hug children outdoors, no faces are visible

A little girl in a pink dress leans smiling against the wall, an examination in the background

Growing up healthy

Macheo examines vulnerable children, refers them where needed and follows up on their treatment.

A mother sits outdoors with her two small children in front of corrugated iron huts

What a child needs

This mother learns what her children need to grow up healthy. And she receives food for them.

Mothers with children sit in a room, a staff member in a white coat stands in front

A mother with her child smiles in a training session

Passing on knowledge

Whoever learns something at Macheo passes it on. In training sessions, in classrooms and right outside the front door.

A teacher stands at the blackboard, children raise their hands

Two women in a training session, one smiling

A group sits in front of a clay house listening to a woman

A woman with a headband listens closely in a training session

Two women from behind in colourful dresses and headscarves, a purple umbrella beside them

A young woman sits at her shoe stall writing in a notebook

A business of her own

With help from Macheo she built a business of her own.

Black and white portrait of a smiling boy in a doorway

Community again

At the children's home, children find a community again.

Black and white portrait of a young woman in a white headscarf

A woman feeds chickens in front of a clay house

A Macheo employee talks with two people in front of a clay house

Laundry hangs between clay houses in a yard

A woman in a colourful dress walks through tall grass towards trees

Children play football on the grass in front of hanging laundry

What it has become

What began with two volunteers in 2005 now reaches more than 50,000 children every year in the slums and rural areas around Thika. More than 130 people work for Macheo, and their jobs sustain the livelihoods of more than 600 family members.

“It started with a school uniform that Macheo gave us, so my child could go to school. Later I started working in mother and child care, one step further each time. Without Macheo I would have had no job and no money to raise my sons.”

Gladys Atieno, healthcare employee at Macheo.

What I saw

Working with Macheo, I saw how important this work is. You can see clearly what a positive impact it has on the lives of many people.

And I saw this: help only reaches the people who need it when we support each other as a community and the right organisation brings it to them.

Mäx Känzig, photographer

Client’s voice

★★★★★

«… he taught us so much and left us with stunning pictures that really capture the essence of the work we do. His pictures are really helping us to communicate back to our supporters and to show potential new partners where we work, and for who.»

Marnix H.Macheo Children’s OrganizationGoogle review ↗︎Translated from German

Enquiry

Want to reach more people with powerful storytelling?

We develop images and stories that show your organisation honestly and move people to help. Tell us what you’re planning.

Answered personally by Mäx
Free and without obligation
Or directly: maex@allkind.ch

Next projectMenace BurgerInterior photography