Aver School was inspired during one of our visits to Esperanza Viva in Puebla, Mexico. My husband and I were down there celebrating the birthdays of some of the kids that we sponsor and of course, had our digital photo and video cameras with us.
Whenever we took a photo, the little kids would come up to us and say “a ver! a ver!” which means “let me see.” At first, we’d just show them the photos and sooner or later we just started letting them take photos themselves. They loved it!
We realized that photography was a great way to connect with the kids and that it would also provide a means of expressing their creativity and becoming more interested in learning and exploring.
In 2006, we invited our friends Maggie and Cormac and traveled to Puebla to give our first workshop – it was such a great hit with all the kids and community members. This first experience has evolved into an annual workshop with professional photographers going down every year and sharing with the kids their experiences and knowledge.
If you’d like to be a part of this work, you can purchase photos, donate cameras or volunteer to teach. Find out more about how to Get Involved here.
Warm regards,
Ruth & Stan
