About this project
Please help me finish my four-year photography project documenting young women coming of age amidst the H.I.V/AIDS epidemic in Swaziland. Coming of age for Swazi girls is tough. A tiny African kingdom of 1 million, Swaziland reports the highest percentage of H.I.V positive people in the world, with the hardest hit being women aged 15-29.
I will return to Swaziland to spend time with the four young women I have followed closely. Each year adds a different chapter to their lives, especially for those who have chosen not to take the antiretroviral drugs—and whose health is on the decline. In addition to photographing the women, I will also interview them on this trip. The images and audio interviews will be used in a multimedia piece about these young women and, eventually, a book.
Your support will cover a two-month trip to Swaziland in January and February. The funds will cover my airfare, car rental, fuel, housing, food, and equipment costs. Ten per cent will cover prints and other thank you gifts.
These women's stories need to be told—and I need your support to tell them.
This project has been supported by The Magnum Foundation Emergency Fund and the video was produced by Magnum in Motion.
www.magnumfoundation.org/emergencyfund
FAQ
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on December 5, 2010.
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Receive a thank you on the project's blog plus exclusive updates on the project.
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Receive a personal thank you sent on a 4x6 print postcard + exclusive updates on the project.
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Receive a handmade Swazi holiday grass ornament from Gone Rural Swaziland + exclusive updates on the project. By funding this project, you're directly supporting women in Swaziland. www.goneruralswazi.com
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Receive one 8x10 print from the project, on matte paper, + the ornament and exclusive updates on the project.
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Receive one 11x14 print from the project, on matte paper + the ornament and exclusive updates on the project.
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Receive one 11x14 signed print of your choice from the project, on archival paper + the ornament and exclusive updates on the project.
Project By
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Krisanne Johnson (b. 1976) grew up in Xenia, Ohio. She graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Colorado and pursued postgraduate work in visual communications at Ohio University.
Since 2006, Krisanne has been working on long-term personal projects about young women and H.I.V/AIDS in Swaziland and post-apartheid South African youth culture. Her work has been recognized by World Press Photo, Pictures of the Year International, and the Best of Photojournalism. She has received the Getty Images Grant for Editorial Photography, a W. Eugene Smith Fellowship, and support from the Magnum Foundation Emergency Fund.
Her work has appeared in various magazines and newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Fader, US News & World Report, Vanity Fair (Italy), and Newsweek (Japan). In 2010, POLKA Galerie in Paris exhibited her South African youth culture work as part of their group exhibit on past and current South African documentary photography.
