Pictures of childhood days long past always inspire both nostalgia and joy; images of old friends and dear family members always conjure a smile on our faces. But what if you lived in a remote area and had no access to modern amenities or no way to preserve your most precious memories?
Through the Memory Foundation, we aim to give people in remote areas in Africa – who often don’t have any personal pictures a tangible memory of themselves and their loved ones – memories to cherish.
For this purpose, we leverage our exploration trips to often remote areas in Africa during which we experience the places we suggest to our guests. On many of these trips, we dedicate a couple of hours in remote villages where we take pictures of the local people and print and frame there and then.
Photos are Treasure
“I remember with nostalgia when the local photographer would be in our neighborhood and be an opportunity for us to wear our Sunday Best. As I go through the family album these memorable moments warm my heart, with treasured reminders from our childhood. In remote villages around the world, many people have no way to keep memories of milestones and special occasions, no significant events neatly framed. To even imagine that there are people out there who have never seen a mirror, hence have no way of seeing their own image or reflection was always something that would never cross my mind.”
– Susan Karuiru
Miles of Smiles
“Every villager was scrambling for a picture. Everyone wanted a picture of everything. While one person wanted a picture with some household possession, another wanted a picture with all her relatives. It was a busy afternoon, full of challenges, but one where we all felt a sense of pride when we left. It was with such joy to see these people leaving with a bundle of photos under their arms, smiles all over their faces and asking if we were going to come back to their village.”
READ MORE ABOUT MEMORY FOUNDATION ACTIVITIES IN ACTION ON OUR BLOG.
How you can get involved
The Memory Foundation is a unique opportunity for you to get to know people from some of the remotest areas of the continent, and work together to create memories that last a lifetime and that help build friendships between you and people who are worlds apart. This initiative provides an unusual opportunity for you to interact with people, and leave memories behind that create lasting smiles rather than just taking pictures of unknown people for themselves. If this sounds interesting to you, please, ask your travel consultant how this could be become a part of your experience in Africa.