The magazine of the art-form of the photo-essay
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film & documentary maker
Nov2015 back issue
by William Davies
Remote communities in Papua New Guinea often have to travel for days, sometimes weeks, to reach decent health
care facilities when they fall sick. For villages along the Sepik and yellow River in Sandaun Province, that means
taking a canoe and paddling to the nearest aid post, where only some drugs are available.
With high levels of malnutrition, especially amongst children, malaria has been one of the biggest killers. But two
NGOs now operate in these remote regions; Rotarians against Malaria provides mosquito nets; and Population
Services International trains health workers to diagnose and treat the disease.
Bailing out water: two boys bail out the water from their canoe before heading out for a late night fishing trip.
Boy in grass: A young boy walks through tall grass next to yellow River.
Boy on the bank: A young boy looks out across Yellow River.
Boy with face paint: Young children pose after performing a traditional dance in their village.
Boy with paddle: Fish are the main, and sometimes only, source of food for the villagers here, who often spend all day
out on their canoes fishing.
Girls on log: Young girls sit together and gossip.
Girls watching.
Malnourished boy: High rates of malnutrition, especially amongst young children, leaves them susceptible to other
diseases such as TB and Malaria.
Man with axe: With no power, fire wood is the only way to cook food.
Boys running: The villages along the river are huge playgrounds for the younger children, especially when school
finishes for the day.
On the bank: Children wait for their parents to return from fishing. Although some children go to primary school, many
children don’t and stay home all day.
On the bank.
The village: The entire village of Baiwai pose for a photo.
Village departure: Villagers from Baiwai line the bank to wave goodbye.
Village: Houses in the village are built on stilts to protect against flooding, and have been constructed the same way
for generations.
Walking on water: A woman walks along a mud flat to look for fish at sunset.
Welcoming committee: Children line the banks to welcome the PSI health team to the Baiwai village.
Women and children: A woman breastfeeds her child.
