» Rose | The Advocacy Project

Kate Cummings (Vital Voices in Kenya): Kate was born in the North Carolina mountains, and received her BFA in photography at Sewanee (The University of the South) in 2004. Kate co-founded a meditation group at the Hampshire County Jail in North Carolina where she led meditation sessions with inmates each week. Upon graduation, Kate was awarded the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. This allowed her to spend a year photographing in India, Vietnam, Thailand, New Zealand, and France. During this year, she photographed Zen Master and international peacemaker Thich Nhat Hanh's first return to Vietnam since his exile 39 years before. Her images were published internationally. She returned to Vietnam in 2007 with Nhat Hanh and his International Peace Delegation to photograph healing ceremonies. Kate moved to western Massachusetts and began teaching photography to at-risk girls. At the time of her fellowship, Kate was studying for her master’s degree at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston. After her fellowship, Kate wrote: “Best experience? This is an impossible question! I think, that by spending so much time with Kenyans in their homes and families and in the community setting… I gained a deep understanding of their successes and their significant challenges...I look at myself now as having the potential to be as strong and caring as the amazing women I met in Kenya.”

20 Jul

I may have a few extra entries regarding Umoja that could pop up in my coming blogs. This is one of them.

Rose was with me everyday at Umoja – her excellent English made her my companion by necessity. When she was away, looking after her children or gathering firewood, her absence was palpable. Rose and I are the same age, and this still surprises me when I remember the motherly calm and kindness she possessed. Like the other women at Umoja, Rose is busy from dawn to dusk with beading, child-rearing, and household work. The interview below provides a look into daily life at Umoja, and gives you a moving picture of someone who has a special place in my heart.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2zfWzJROs8

Rose Lekamisi talks about her life – before and after Umoja.

Posted By Kate Cummings

Posted Jul 20th, 2009

Rose

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