photography projects — Headshot provided by Daniella Maiorano.

By Paige Sullivan

For Daniella Maiorano, photography was first a self-taught skill, then a career — one that led her from her home in Toronto to London in 2009, as she “fell into it” after working closely with a stylist.

But now, after her Kickstarter was successfully funded, she’s in Moshi, Tanzania, using photography as a way to help children and marginalized groups through her Club Sanaa project (“sanaa” means “art” in Swahili). Maiorano explains:

I have always wanted to do this project. It came about when I was working with a Colombian based charity in London. I initially was going to do this this project there (in Colombia), as I had some connections with non-profits through the founder.

She was led in a different direction, though, and decided to partner with Msamaria Centre for Street Children, a registered Tanzanian NGO that supports street children, orphans, and its surrounding community at large.

In terms of Club Sanaa’s logistics, Maiorano will work with 15 children, who will meet with her three times a week. Each child will work with their own 35mm camera and film. Says Maiorano:

Each week is focused on a different theme. They learn the basics from me, and then go out and shoot. After the film is processed we come back to the classroom to discuss and share images. The project is much more about creative expression than the technical side of using a camera.

In terms of the benefits of blending art and community development, Maiorano believes the arts are a great tool for both community and self development. She believes that in a particular group like this, photography and other art forms can really help to empower the participants.

Further, art, like photography, can be a therapeutic way to cope with trauma.

Many of them have gone through traumatic life events; and by handing them a camera and giving them freedom of expression, I am hoping it will give them the confidence they need to share their stories.

For those interested in getting involved with Club Sanaa–including helping Maiorano build a website –feel free to contact her directly at [email protected].

Paige Sullivan is currently an MFA candidate in the creative writing program at Georgia State University, where she also works as a composition instructor and the poetry editor of New South, a literary journal. Her poetry appears or will soon appear in Qu, the American Literary Review, Mead, and others. In her spare time, she loves to write about foodways, animal ethics, creativity, and the city of Atlanta.