Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2012 - (Page 10)

top to bottom: Supplying young women in Angiro with huru (freedom) bags meant they would not miss school for an entire week every month; at home in Angiro; Anne Okelo, holding her nephew. Tuberculosis and diarrheal disease were constant threats, the latter due to a lack of clean drinking water. Anne was determined to live a better life, though. When she was 14—the age at which Kenyan girls typically enter into marriage—Anne ran away from home and sold candles on the side of the road. After working many odd jobs, she eventually earned a degree in environmental studies from the University of Nairobi. Then, in 2003, Anne answered an Internet ad for a conservation job in the U.S. with the British Petroleum Corporation. Anne was going to America! Through B.P., Anne trained, worked, and received mentoring. Several years later, Anne was working on her master’s degree at West Chester University in Pennsylvania when she learned that, because of a political uprising in Kenya, she was about to lose her sponsorship to the university— meaning that she would have to return to Kenya. As Anne grappled with this information, a university administrator approached her. A man named Warren Calloway had contacted the university. Calloway had recently visited Kenya as part of a church group and returned to the U.S. determined to help those less fortunate. He was looking for a student from Kenya to mentor. Did they know of anyone who could use his help? In addition to paying Anne’s expenses in the U.S., Warren helped Anne create Operation Well Worth It, a website where people could donate money to help build a well in Angiro. Anne spoke at local church groups and community organizations, telling her story and requesting donations. She raised over $30,000, and in 2010, after receiving her master’s degree in nonprofit adminstration, returned to Kenya, where the well was built. Our challenge was to convey Anne’s story—her dreams, struggles, and eventual triumphs—through the medium of film. When I stepped onto the plane, I had no idea what I was getting into. getting real When we began shooting, I still had the mindset of an action filmmaker. I wanted “cool” shots, those with the highest production value. Rather than seeing a story of infinite potential against the backdrop of the overwhelming beauty of Africa, I was monitoring ISO and aperture through my viewfinder. As a result, I remained distanced from the story we were trying to tell—until we began shooting interviews. As Anne’s sister recounted how her husband regularly beat her with a machete, and Anne—now 34—explained how, despite the abuse she herself endured, she was able to maintain her dream of bringing clean water to her community, the reality of their lives began to dawn on me. This wasn’t some story I’d scripted and shot for fun. I was meeting the true characters in this real-life story of hardship and courage. I became emotionally connected not only to the film, but to the people the film was about. It became my privilege to help Anne’s story inspire others. The rest of that week was one of the best times of my life. Each day, Chris and I filmed as Cindy conducted interviews with Anne and her family members, as well as with Warren, Anne’s secondary school principal, two mentors who had helped her sell candles, and people from the village whom Anne had inspired.When we weren’t doing interviews, we shot footage of the village and its people in their dayto-day lives. Despite many cultural differences, we were welcomed into nov/dec 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2012

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/december 2012
Contents
Big Picture
In My Own Words
Well of Dreams
Making History Personal
A World Full of Stories
The Month of Writing Dangerously
Japan Adventures
Storytelling 2.0
On the Frontline of Digital Journalism
Once Upon a Summer
Awakening the Storyteller
Selected Opportunities & Resources
On the Doorstep of Discovery
When You’re Ready to Do Research
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2012