Bed for Janvier

I recently came back from Rwanda. The mission this time was a pleasant one, to deliver the hospital bed to Janviere that we had successfully fund-raised. The story of Janviere started about a year and a half ago. I was visiting Rwanda for the third time continuing my long term project on what life is like after having experienced Genocide. I was visiting with my friend Révérien who now lives in Switzerland. We went to the village where he grew up and where he witnessed the murder of his entire family, 43 people. He himself was badly injured. he was 15 years old. On the last day, he told me we were to visit his friend, Janviere. Janviere and Révérien first met when they were 11 and 15 years old. They where next to each other at the field hospital when they were found injured during the genocide in Rwanda. In 1994, during the genocide in Rwanda, Janviere was 11 years old. Her family was also killed and she had been thrown into a latrine. The result was that she broke her back and is now paralysed from neck and down. Since the genocide in 1994, Janviere has spent most of her time indoor. Her bed is not mobile. She cannot move at all, apart from her left hand. She can not sit in a wheel chair. With Reverien, we decided that it must be possible to get her a bed or something that can help her get outside more. Upon my return to Switzerland, some of the work from Rwanda is available through Keystone photo agency. I did several exhibitions and presentations. While doing so, we started a fund raising campaign. I met with potential partners/ clients and the result was that we got a bed, a hospital Stryker bed, donated by MC Group in Holland (Hospital). The box made for the shipping was made for free by Noord nederlands klussenbedrijf, Nelipak donated towards the packaging, Rhenus Drachten gave us favourable fares for the freight. The people at Polyganics were all amazing and took care of the rest of the expenses in order top make his project a success- thank you Marcel, Paul, Romke, Rudy, Marietta and everybody else involved!

I also have to mention everybody who donated towards this project. A crowd funding page was set up with 100 days. The goal was to raise CHF 5000 and buy a bed for Janviere. We made our target thanks to many (29) individual contributions! So, I am back from Rwanda, the bed was finally delivered after some initial problems with timing, visa etc... But, I can report back that Janviere is very grateful and extremely touched by the generosity by everybody involved! We even have a little bit of money left which will be used to make it easier for Janviere in and around her house!

So, final note- Postcards and prints are currently being made and will soon be on its way to various contributors!

More info: ks-imaging.blogspot.ch

Dear everybody, finally good news, I have received my visa which for some reason got held up. It means that I will be returning to Rwanda and can finally deliver the bed to Janviere! Much has happened since this project got started. First, the situation of Janviere is a little worse then it was a year ago- she needs more medical help and therefor needs to visit the hospital more frequently. Secondly, a medical component company and a hospital in the Netherlands decided that they wanted to help (The picture shows the bed packed up and ready to be shipped from Holland!). It means our effort will go further then planned. So, the idea now is to deliver a bed which is a little smaller, but more mobile to Janviere. It will make it easier to take her out and it will make it easier for her helpers to get her into a van/ ambulance for her visits to the hospital. It also allows us to help pay for transportation as she needs to fund this herself. I will be visiting in April and will find out how the funds generated here can help in the best possible way for Janviere. Again, thanks to everybody who have helped and I look forward top contact you personally with postcards and prints once the visit has happened! Kristian

I was meant to be returning from Rwanda today after having delivered the bed to Janviere. The good news is that the bed is in Rwanda! The bad news is that we have had some administrative issues that have caused a delay. I am of course determined to make it to Rwanda in order to meet with Janviere again as well as giving her the new bed and am hoping everything is sorted so that this can now happen next month. I am looking forward to soon post the conclusion on this project- and- hopefully introduce stage two... Please stay in touch for the updates next week. We have had help from Dutch medical component company Polyganics in order to ship the bed from Europe to Rwanda. Noord Nederlands Klussenbedrift made the box to pack it in. Photo Rudy Mareel ks-imaging.blogspot.ch
#genocide #neveragain #photography #documentary #photojournalism #reportage #webster #nikonpro #ronorp #keystone #photobastei #100days #ronorp #storytelling #NoordNederlandsKlussenbedrift

As this year is about to finish, I am happy to share the latest news on the project on helping Janviere with a new bed. The fundraising efforts were done in May. The planning took a little bit of time as I am based in Switzerland and this had to be organised in Rwanda. Friends who are based in Kigali and who knows Janviere were not available before January 1st- so we decided in the early fall to wait until early January. So- the plan is, next week will see the project come together! Some administrative issues seems to cause some problems- but I am determined to make it to Rwanda in order to meet with Janviere again as well as giving her the new bed and find out how the fund raising money can help her in the best possible way over the next few years. Please stay in touch for the updates next week! PS- pictures and postcards will be sent as well- as I would like to send an "update" image to everyone supporting his project. ks-imaging.blogspot.ch
#genocide #neveragain #photography #documentary #photojournalism #reportage #webster #nikonpro #ronorp #keystone #photobastei #reverienrurangwa #ibuka #100days #ronorp #storytelling

Here is a little update on our project on getting a new bed for Janvier. As many know, we succeeded in raising money for a specialised bed/ hospital bed for Janvier. She is paralysed from her neck and down as result of injuries from the genocide in 1994 and has no way of getting out of her current bed. As I am based in Switzerland and she lives in Rwanda, there are certain logistical challenges in order to make this happen. However, many of the challenges has been delt with and we are now looking for getting the best/ right solution amongst 3 or 4 choices. After that, we will order the bed, transport it and make a visit in order to document how this has helped Janvier. We will also be supporting a few additional initiatives in the neighbourhood where Janvier lives. The timeline has been pushed a little. We wanted to do it this year, but its will now likely be completed by the very end of this or in the beginning of next year. The people who have been helping me in Rwanda as well as my own work schedule makes it hard to complete during 2016- but- February 2017 the current deadline set for us! Watch this space for future updates. ks-imaging.blogspot.ch
#genocide #photography #documentary #photojournalism #reportage #webster #nikonpro #ronorp #keystone #ibuka #100days

Dear everybody, I just want to say a huge thank you to all of you have helped with realising the funds we need in order to help Janvier getting a new bed- but- also help others in the region with their medical needs!! The campaign has finished- the work starts now though. The next few steps will be to identify exactly which bed or chair Janvier needs. As soon as Easter is over, I will meet with Ibuka Suisse who is my partner here in Switzerland and I will make the plans with them. They have full control over what is needed where etc. So, again, THANK YOU to everybody who has contributed, it really is much appreciated! I will keep you posted & have a great weekend, Kristian

Fantastic news! We made our target of raising CHF 5000 on our 100 Days campaign!
This is just a "first Thank You" to everybody that have contributed so far...more to come when the campaign is officially over- in 19 days time. That means, there is still some time to go, it means that our goal of helping more of the survivors in the community where Janvier lives is very much a possibility.

The next step now for me is to identify exactly which type of bed Janvier needs and then order it. I already have, of course, a distributer recommended to me by Handicap International. They are based in Rwanda, something which will simplify the process. Then, a local friend will help me with the logistics.

Hopefully this process can be concluded during this year, if not, early next year, as it is not a fast process to get it right. Janvier has been paralysed for over 20 years. In the end, I really look forward to go back and visit in order to document this project- I will then share this report here with everybody who have supported and helped to make this project a reality!

Caption: Janvier at home when I visited with Reverien Rurangwa in January 2014.

Latest update on my 100 Days campaign:
We now need only CHF 275 in order to reach our CHF 5000 target.. We still have 21 days in order to make that. There has been some amazing donations and I am really excited to make this a reality. The plans are already being laid out- I have a distributer of hospital equipment that will be giving me several offers so that we can find out exactly what Janvier needs and I will be meeting again with Ibuka, the Rwandan Survivor organisation here in Switzerland so that the rest of the money (I believe we will have a little more then we need)- can be used to help other survivors in the community in Rwanda. Ibuka does some amazing work and I would be very happy for them to get a little bit of a helping hand on this. So, again, thank you so much to everybody so far- please continue to help by sharing this post with the links to the project amongst your friends! ks-imaging.blogspot.ch The picture is from the reburial process in the area of Bisesero in April 2014. All victims of the genocide were to be reburied into memorial mass graves. ‪#‎genocide‬#neveragain ‪#‎photography‬ ‪#‎documentary‬ ‪#‎photojournalism‬ ‪#‎reportage‬ ‪#‎webster‬ ‪#‎nikonpro‬ ‪#‎ronorp‬ ‪#‎keystone‬ ‪#‎photobastei‬ ‪#‎reverienrurangwa‬ ‪#‎ibuka‬ ‪#‎100days‬ #ronorp

Dear everybody,

we are reaching the last month of my 100 days campaign on raising funds for Janvier and her new bed as well as the community of people who needs a little help in Rwanda. Here is the update:

We have now almost made our goal of CHF 5000- I am absolutely certain we will make it! Several people have recently donated to this project. Last week, a donation of CHF 2000 and one of CHF 500 was made. Absolutely amazing- but just as important, several other donations of CHF 20 and CHF 50 were given. Every one of those donations will be used carefully in order to reach as many as possible.

The deal is this: The first goal is to help Janvier get a new bed or whatever tis the most appropriate for her so that she will be able to be a little bit more mobile and have the chance to come out more often (We have received several offers from companies producing this type of equipment). This will obviously improve her life quality a little. Second goal is to contribute with medications for survivors in the region. I will be working with Ibuka Suisse for that. They already have a good network of people who needs help and whom they already help. I will be returning to Rwanda in order to make a report on the changes that were made- the reports will be posted here.

Again, thanks for everybody who has contributed so far and has shared the link amongst their friends!

We have 58 days to go and the progress have been great! I know a few people who wants to contribute, it means we are getting closer to our CHF 5000 goal. Everybody who has helped by sharing this project should know that it is much appreciated. The picture here is of a little girl outside of the house of Javier. Have a good day, Kristian

Please join me tonight Photobastei, Friday December the 18th at 18:30. Address: Sihlquai 125, 8005 Zurich. I will talk about the project "Life After Genocide". I will be joined by Samuel Musabyimana who is a survivor of genocide and a representative of the the Rwandan Survivor Organisation Ibuka. He lives in Zurich, Switzerland.
I will be presenting my work on Life after Genocide as well as the fund raising initiative here on 100 days! The picture shows children greeting us iN Bisesero, Rwanda on April 7th 2014, 20 years after the genocide agains the Tutsi. 50000 people murdered in the area around Bisesero.
ks-imaging.blogspot.ch

I am really pleased about the response so far to this campaign- Absolutely wonderful! Thank you all for the support so far. Remember, the help provided here will help more then Janvier. The community in Kibungo consist of many genocide survivors, particularly women and children. they live there as there is a Chinese hospital nearby. Christmas is coming up, it takes me back to Kibungo as I was visiting just after Christmas. You can see in the picture the decoration in Javier's room, as well as her daytime entertainment, her TV. More on this to come. Also, should you be based in Zurich, please join me on Friday night at Photobastei. I will present some of my work relating tho this project. Join me there at 18:30! Kristian