Vlad Sokhin

“Warm Waters” publication on Terra Eco magazine (France)

“Warm Waters” published in December issue of Terra Eco magazine (France)

Vlad Sokhin speaks at the Social Good Summit Australia

The Social Good Summit Australia is a one-day conference examining the impact of social good initiatives around the world. Held on October 10th 2015 in Sydney, the Social Good Summit Australia unites a dynamic community of global and local leaders and grassroots contributors to discuss solutions for the greatest challenges of our time.

Vlad was invited to the Social Good Summit to present his work on human rights and climate change in Asia-Pacific.

‘Warm Waters’ in French L’Obs magazine

Photos from Vlad’s ongoing long-term project “Warm Waters” about climate change in the Pacific was published in L’Obs magazine (France).

Cargo Cults of Melanesia in July issue of Portuguese travel magazine “Volta ao Mundo”.

Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu

On March 13th and 14th 2015, severe tropical cyclone Pam tore through the South Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu with destructive winds of up to 250 kilometres p/hour that flattened homes, destroyed schools and people gardens and left large areas of the country completely defoliated. The country’s 250,000 people are still facing unprecedented devastation.

Below is a short video story of James, who lost his house and his school. I’ve produced it for ChildFund and Live&Learn earlier this year. You can help James and other children of Vanuatu to rebuild the schools by donating to ChildFund:

iPad version of “Crying Meri” book released

Happy to announce the iPad version of “Crying Meri” book is available on the Apple iBooks store.

Published by FotoEvidence, Crying Meri is a monumental work documenting violence against women in Papua New Guinea. Images from the work were used in public education campaigns by the United Nations, Amnesty International, Child Fund Australia and others. The photographs capture both the beauty of PNG and terrifying plight of women who face danger in the home, danger on the streets and the danger of being accused of sorcery.

The iPad version of the book has 151 pages and contains 124 colour images, an introduction by Jo Chandler, foreword by Christina Saunders and interview with Vlad Sokhin. It also features a short multimedia film about one of the survivors of sorcery-related violence Dini Korul, that was produced by duckrabbit.

iPad version of Crying Meri book is available in Apple  store for $12.99

This book is available for download with iBooks on your Mac or iOS device, and with iTunes on your computer. The book can be read with iBooks on your Mac or iOS device.

Crying Meri book on Amazon

Here we go, “Crying Meri” book, published by FotoEvidence earlier this year is available on  now.

You can read more about the book and see the project’s gallery on my web-site.

Police brutality in PNG in BLUEFRAMEJOURNAL

A photo and a story about covering police brutality in Papua New Guinea in BLUEFRAMEJOURNAL, a new wonderful project of my friends Oksana Yushko and Arthur Bondar.

http://blueframejournal.tumblr.com

Lens Pacific on Instagram

Have a look and subscribe to my new Instagram account LENS PACIFIC with exclusive Instagram coverage of Papua New Guinea and other Pacific countries.

http://instagram.com/lens_pacific

Bibiane’s Story: Restoring Sight in Papua New Guinea

In 2013 I have worked with The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ on a photo and video story of Bibiane, who suffered in isolation with cataract blindness. Have a look at this video and support The Fred Hollows Foundation’s work in Papua New Guinea and other Pacific countries.

Bibiane suffers in isolation with cataract blindness. As a respected elder and the matriarch of her family, she should be enjoying time with her grandchildren and her community. Instead she’s totally dependent on her grandson to lead her around even for basic things like going to the toilet or getting to the river for a bath.

But Bibiane’s condition is completely curable. The problem is that there are not enough eye doctors in PNG. For a population of 7.2 million people there are only 9 eye doctors. As a result people like Bibiane have been living with blindness for years. 

The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ is working to change this picture. From its clinic in Madang, The Foundation is training local eye doctors and nurses to help the people of PNG, people like Bibiane.

Vlad Sokhin returns to PNG to spend extended periods of time with Bibiane and her family. This video is an intimate portrait of Bibiane’s story of transformation. He has behind the scenes access to the medical facilities at Modilon Hospital and he tenderly takes us into her world of sadness and hope.

The video is an emotional portrait of one of the thousands of patients The Foundation helps each year. Because of lack of access to adequate health care, the human rights of Bibiane have been infringed and her quality of life has suffered enormously. The Foundation continues the legacy of Prof Fred Hollows as a champion of human dignity and social justice. The Foundation works to ensure that the developing world does not get second-rate eye care, but rather everyone should be able to see again as a human right.