WORK.
Rita, born activist
When me and my husband was walking in the cemetery one day he noticed
an area where none of the graves were marked. The local vicar told us they
were graves where the poor people whose families could not afford to pay
for a funeral were buried.
They had their names taken from them, as though they had never
existed. Their families had nowhere to go to mourn or meet to remember
them.
We worked with the vicar to get permission to put a headstone on
these graves and asked a local stonemason to donate and carve the stone
– which he did.
On the day it was unveiled, over 100 people turned up to see the resting
place of those they loved being recognised for the first time. It was a way to
give them back their dignity as human beings, even in death.
Sarah, volunteer youth worker
I help to enrich young people's lives. I do this by volunteering at a
youth centre and encouraging young people who are looked after
by the local authority to participate in activities.
I also teach dance to autistic and ADHD-affected children on a Wednesday and Saturday.
The Roles We Play: Recognising the Contribution of People in Poverty, a project done in partnership with ATD Fourth World is a collection of photographs, written stories and sound recordings.
Launched to mark the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, these portraits explore the roles played by those living in poverty within their families, communities and society at large.
The aim is to highlight their efforts, recognise their contribution and challenge the negative attitudes often held towards vulnerable and excluded families in the UK.
To accompany the exhibition, those appearing in the photographs have written short texts to explain their lives, their hopes and their place in society as seen through their own eyes.
The exhibition is currently touring UK and Europe. See under News for details.