“A lot of the not-for-profits I was working for were doing life-saving, amazing work, but they couldn’t justify spending money on video and photos,” says Da Silva. “I did one project in India where I was working as a researcher to help Dalit (Untouchable) people get free education and health care. That was profound work for me. It was my first glimpse at serious injustice. It’s something that I’m very passionate about correcting. When I came back it was really difficult to explain to people what I was doing, without visual aid.”
That’s when she realized how powerful and important imagery was for not-for-profits. And that’s when she founded Photographers Without Borders. This not-for-profit pairs professional photographers with development projects around the world. Delivering high-quality imagery to these organizations helps them improve their storytelling and improve their impact. A full-time photographer and director, Da Silva jokes that Photographers Without Borders is her other full time job.
Now over 500 members strong, Photographers Without Borders completes 40 projects a year around the world, each one dedicated to inspiring social and environmental change by showing the ways grassroots initiatives are addressing problems. Whether you’re a professional photographer looking to volunteer or someone who wants to support this organization, check out photographerswithoutborders.org to learn how you can help.
