Ojumbo’s world given to humanity

By JACOBS ODONGO
Posted July 14, 2009

Harrison, Ojumbo's son, who is deaf. Photo by Steve Wandera Ojumbo

It could have been a simple, albeit personal interaction with his deaf son, but the door to humanitarian cause hung wide open for Steven Wandera Ojumbo.

Ojumbo, a Ugandan freelance photojournalist soon found his life immersed in championing humanity. Today he uses his photos to create awareness in order to attract support for humanitarian aid and corporate social responsibility. With a mission to “Tell Stories That Are,” Ojumbo is involved in photography, photo exhibitions, photo releases, stock photography, photo enlargements and publication of the pictorial Need Magazines.

Steven Wandera Ojumbo

“As photojournalists, we encounter people who face different burdens in society,” he says. Ojumbo’s calling would immerse him into causes from normal to disabled persons through various assignments from humanitarian organizations including Action Aid International, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and Population Service International (PSI).

With these organizations, Ojumbo has extensively covered the plight of the less privileged communities, internally displaced persons, and people living with HIV/AIDS as well as disaster victims, among others.

Ojumbo says his passion is photo exhibitions as a concept through which pictures talk, raise the profile of humanity, create awareness and inspire informed debate, while also bringing together stakeholders to work for the betterment of humanity.

He says his exhibitions provide a forum for information sharing and networking. “I have to reflect faces and lives of real people; a sneak peak into people’s dreams; a bold view of failures, a rare glimpse of turning points in our lives; a courageous view of fears of individuals and community and the whole nation; a revelation of anxieties and achievements of the weak; and powerful and a platform for policymakers and consumers to interact,” he says.

“The purpose is to inspire people to become personally involved in working together towards healthy living….”

Ojumbo turns otherwise ordinary stories and events into bold statements about society in order to raise concern.

“I strive to break down pictures to reveal the issues, the actions, the inaction and the untold stories,” he said

Another deaf boy in Uganda. Ojumbo hold exhibitions to raise funds to help construct a Vocational Center at Uganda’s School for the Deaf to help such children. Photo by Steve Wandera Ojumbo.

In April 2009, Ojumbo held a photo exhibition with the theme Silent Voices with colorful Hearts to showcase the day-to-day life of his son, Harrison, who is deaf. He also wanted to raise funds to help construct a Vocational Center at Uganda’s School for the Deaf (USD) in Ntinda, a Kampala suburb to enable his son and other deaf children acquire skills that could help them in future. Today, deaf children in Uganda cannot pursue studies beyond standard seven, and Ojumbo hopes to change that. The country has only one school for the deaf, but it lacks adequate facilities to meet the needs of these children.

“One day while I was checking pictures at home, my son came and sat next to me,” he says. “I wondered what kind of future lay ahead of him so I decided to visit the Uganda School for the Deaf with an idea of holding a photo exhibition to create awareness, and interest well-wishers to contribute towards the construction of a vocational centre for them.”

Beside the exhibitions, the Uganda School for the Deaf has also been active in fundraising for the construction of the vocational institute. The school recently organized a walk, dubbed “Silent Walk”, to raise money and plans to have another one in November.

Juliet Tumuhairwe, USD’s head teacher, said the students need more practical subjects to equip them with the skills to favorably compete in the job market. If the dream is achieved, the vocational centre will enhance self-employment for the students in trades such as carpentry, tailoring, blacksmith, engineering, data entry and baking, Tumuhairwe said.

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Tags: humanity