Street kids of Ukraine.
This series of images documents the everyday life of homeless children in the Ukraine. Its shows evidence of drug use and disease. Nobody knows exactly how many children are homeless or living on the streets of Ukraine. Estimates range from 50,000 to 3 million. Many children living on the streets are regular drug users, progressing from using glue to injecting lethal homemade concoctions of ephedrine and vinegar from as young as 6 years old. Levels of HIV and aids have reached epidemic proportions in Ukraine. The world health organization and the UN estimate that 1.4 per cent of the population of 48 million is effected. Last year 2,025 new cases of HIV positive children were registered. This is the text that accompanies the images.
This series of images documents the everyday life of homeless children in the Ukraine. Its shows evidence of drug use and disease. Nobody knows exactly how many children are homeless or living on the streets of Ukraine. Estimates range from 50,000 to 3 million. Many children living on the streets are regular drug users, progressing from using glue to injecting lethal homemade concoctions of ephedrine and vinegar from as young as 6 years old. Levels of HIV and aids have reached epidemic proportions in Ukraine. The world health organization and the UN estimate that 1.4 per cent of the population of 48 million is effected. Last year 2,025 new cases of HIV positive children were registered. This is the text that accompanies the images.
Most of the images in this project are shot in landscape to show the background living environment as well as the child. These shots, and also all of Gillanders projects, are shot in black and white. This is to create the atmosphere of sadness and set the mood for the images. Also i think it shows the harsh reality that these children do not have a childhood, and have to grow up very fast.
The beginning images of the project show the living conditions and single shots of children playing with fire. It then progresses to children drug taking and then ends with a young girl crying and looking up to the sky. I think this sequence shows the progression of drug taking from experimenting with fire, to drug taking, then possibly the realization that the child has HIV/AIDS.
The images are very successful in communicating the subject as I think the photographer has shown subtly but effectively the lives of the children and communicated a strong message in sometimes a disturbing but moving collection of images.
The opinions of the photographer, I think are obviously in this project. He feels that the state of life of the children is wrong and the government needs to do more to stop homelessness. Also that the children need to be educated about drug use and prevention of HIV and AIDS.
These images were made primarily for a gallery exhibition at "BESPRIZORNIKI" Melkweg Gallery, Amsterdam.
Bibliography
http://www.davidgillanders.com/bio.php?project=exhibitions
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