Experiencia Dominicana
Dominican Republic, 2009

In 2009, I traveled to the Dominican Republic on a mission trip to visit schools and youth organisations supporting communities with limited resources. This project grew out of conversations with the families I met there, among them a single mother raising three school aged children, with only enough money for one school uniform. Rather than let that scarcity stop their education, the children took turns: each day, one child wore the uniform to school, and the moment they returned home, they washed it so a sibling could wear it the next day. Across a week, all three found their way into the classroom, trading turns without complaint, each one visibly thrilled when their day came around. This series moves through several schools and settings across the country, but it returns again and again to that same spirit, children who, despite real material hardship, meet their education with enthusiasm, resourcefulness, and joy. It's a portrait of what opportunity looks like when it's fought for, and of the quiet ingenuity families build together to make sure no child is left behind.