During my time in Kenya, I was privileged to work with the Maragoli Community Development Foundation. We went from village to village and documented the people living in the countryside. The foundation sas doing meaningful work, and this manifested itself in the warm embrace we received throughout my time in this beautiful land.
During our walks we ran across various groups of people, including this woman and a few of her friends. They asked to be photographed and we did so against this backdrop of boulders. The foundation worked with both mentally and physically challenged individuals, people who inspired me greatly in large part due to the difficulties they faced on a day to day basis.
While being physically challenged is certainly an immense hardship in societies which accommodate somewhat for their citizens with such challenges, being physically challenged in rural Kenya is another matter altogether. Some are hidden out of view by their families due to shame, while others walk a very lonely path with their challenges.
It was my privilege sincerely to have photographed this beautiful woman, and so many like her rising above their circumstances... refusing to be labeled and contributing to their communities fully.
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