The ripple effect is a term used to describe a situation where, like the ever expanding ripples across water when an object is dropped into it, an effect from an initial state can be followed outwards incrementally.
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I had the opportunity to meet Annie Griffiths, one of the first women photographers for National Geographic, during a morning coffee held recently.
Her bio reads as follows ::
She has covered women’s issues on six continents and her work has been featured in the Geographic, LIFE, Geo, Smithsonian, Time, Stern, and many other publications. Her books include A Camera, Two Kids and a Camel and Last Stand: America’s Virgin Lands, done in partnership with acclaimed author Barbara Kingsolver. Proceeds from the book have raised more than a quarter million dollars for grassroots land conservation. Annie is deeply committed to photographing need around the world. For more than a decade she has dedicated a portion of each year to documenting the important work of aid organizations. She has received awards from the National Press Photographers Association, the Associated Press, the National Organization of Women, and the White House News Photographers Association.Annie is a humble, down-to-earth human being, with a heart bigger than herself, and dreams and a zest for life that is not containable in the room in which she stands. Her eye for capturing the world and the women who live in it is artistic, honest and inspiring.
As cool as it was to meet her, it was even more amazing to learn about her project. She has embraced and created Ripple Effect Images.
From their website ::
Ripple Effect Images is a team of journalists who are dedicated to documenting the plight of, and the programs that are helping, poor women and girls around the world as they deal with the devastating effects of climate change. Working closely with scientists and NGOs to identify both the needs and the innovative programs that are helping women and girls, Ripple Effect journalists make strategic trips to document these programs. They then donate their photographs, video, and stories to the Ripple Effect Images Archive. This Archive is made available, at little or no cost, to our partner aid organizations and to policymakers who are working to help poor women as they deal with the tremendous challenges caused by climate change. The extraordinary Ripple Effect team includes a MacArthur Genius Fellow, as well as Pulitzer Prize, Emmy Award, and National Humanities Medal winners.
Ripple Effect's mission is to raise awareness and funding to help empower women and girls in emerging nations around the world. We are currently working with NGOs, ambassadors, corporate leaders, and the State Department.
Imagine a phenomenal NGO or non-profit that is doing great things to empower and enable women ... whose organizers and leaders throw themselves into their work. Too often though, their work is not easily shared with others around the world -- for the sake of awareness, funding or assistance -- because either there is no budget for marketing/communication or there is no one available to simply document and photograph the great work they are doing.
Annie enlisted a team of five of the worlds TOP female photographers (go girl power!), an Emmy award winning filmographer and Barbara Kingsolver (author of The Poisonwood Bible) to go forth into various international locations to shoot, capture, document and ultimately share the stories of women.
Women who hold the weight of the world on their shoulders. Women who care, not only for their immediate family, but their villages, towns and cities. Women who put others above themselves. Women who resist tragic outcomes and instead fight to save lives, farms, homes, and dreams. Women who educate, train and teach those that come behind them.
Once sustainable and effective projects and programs have been identified, the Ripple Effects Team spends tireless hours filming and learning about the amazing women being helped through various NGOs. An archive of photographs is compiled, a video is created and then all of this media is provided at NO CHARGE to organizations to use in better exposing themselves to the world.
This team has been focusing on countries such as Kenya, Bangladesh and Jordan. Guess what country is next?
The Ripple Effect team has their sights (and cameras focused) on India for THIS Fall, and it will be exciting to learn more about how we can help bring this amazing program to the NGOs of India, and in turn help a woman ... help a planet.
For more information, visit their website or watch this gorgeous video, narrated by the fabulous Allison Janney ::
The Answer is Clear from Ripple Effect Images on Vimeo.
When women unite, hold hands and set their minds to something, anything is possible. The proven ripple effect of this team and their subsequent project is amazingly huge. If you would like to get involved in their phenomenal work, contact them at info@rippleeffectimages.org
If you'd like to simply donate and do your part in that way, click HERE.
