BANGKOK — See assorted photography by orphaned children this weekend when a downtown vegan restaurant hosts an exhibition with their snaps.
Children 11 to 15 who learned photography at the Mercy Center orphanage will exhibit work which explores daily life through the eyes of orphans in the slums of Bangkok’s Khlong Toei 70 Rai community.
“We have watched the children learn and develop this new skill and believe that with a little encouragement and support, they have great potential to go very far,” said Samantha Haberli, one of the volunteers at the center who initiated the photography project and organized the exhibition. “They were given complete freedom to photograph whatever they found interesting or beautiful.”
Founded in 1972 in Bangkok’s Khlong Toei district and home to about 200 children, the Mercy Center looks to improve the livelihood of underprivileged people by providing healthcare, running educational and social programs as well as sheltering sufferers of HIV/AIDS.
The center runs daily evening classes led by volunteers that teach disciplines from photography and cooking to sports and music.
“Mercy Center Charity Photo Exhibition” will run 4pm to 6pm on Saturday at Broccoli Revolution, which can be reached by foot from BTS Thong Lo. Entry is free. Donations will be accepted and go toward improving the center’s library and IT facilities.
