Priyanka's Tipping Point

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Most girls in Priyanka’s home district are forced to marry before their 18th birthdays, some as young as 7 or 8. Many poor marginalized Dalits are under intense pressure from neighbors and family to marry children young. Priyanka is a young woman who was a participant in a program called Chunauti—a child-marriage prevention project implemented by CARE and funded by USAID. Through the program, which provided the families of 220 girls with various forms of financial aid, Priyanka’s family received a deposit of 18,000 Nepali rupees (roughly $180) into a bank account for the family. The money would not be accessible until Priyanka turned 18 and only if she remained unmarried until then. Now 18, she is graduating from secondary school and actually works as a Social Mobilizer for CARE’s Tipping Point program. Given the proposed U.S. federal assistance budget cuts, Priyanka personifies the kind of lasting impact that can be realized from USG-funded work. 

Location: Nepal
Client: CARE
Project: Tipping Point
Funder: USAID

BEHIND-THE-SCENES

A PROMISE TO SERVE

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Overview: In March 2015, UNICEF Liberia commissioned Namuh to work on various Ebola related stories to raise awareness about the disease. While on assignment in Liberia, UNICEF Guinea requested we travel to Guinea to work on a film about the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). 

The European Union gave over one billion euros in funding over four years to the progress of the MDGs in Guinea with almost $300 million given to UNICEF. They wanted to produced an MDG Heroes film to showcase how this support helped African frontline workers impact their communities and contribute to the progress of the MDGs. 

Goal: Marlaye Souma discovered his passion for Boy Scouts at an early age and is now the National Commissioner of the Boy Scouts of Guinea. "When you become a Scout you make a promise to stay a Scout for life. We say a Boy Scout for day, a Boy Scout forever," says Souma. The Scouts play a very active role in the community. Through this approach a trust is formed. Because of this trust, people listened to them when Ebola entered the country. 

Our objective was to show how the support of UNICEF and theEU helped the Boy Scouts to distribute hygiene kits to improve hygiene practices for the future. The film was also used to show Souma’s impact on his community and the lives of the children in the Scouts. Soumasays, "I’m proud as a Scout to have contributed to the training of many young boys who are today giving a lot to their community.” 

Challenges: We met with Marlaye Souma on the first day of a week long stay in Guinea to discuss his story. The UNICEF staff had chosen Souma prior to our arrival. While in country, we were also working on a photo portrait series for UNICEF focusing on people’s Ebola experiences. Arranging each visit for the photo series, working around Souma's schedule to shoot the film and traffic delays made for a tight schedule. 

Outcome: We produced a 3 minute film that was distributed by UNICEF on social media.

Client: UNICEF
Location: Guinea
Cinematography: Sarah Grile
Editing: Sarah Grile
Music: Shimmering by Lee Roservere, Untitled #7 and Untitled #2 by Yusuke Tsutsumi.