You’ll be able to view and bid on photos from some great photographers at our upcoming World Food Crisis event. These artists all donated their prints for free, so please support them!

Agnes Dherbeys - http://www.lightstalkers.org/agnes
Benedicte Kurzen - http://www.lightstalkers.org/benedictekurzen
Dan Koeck - http://www.dankoeck.com/
James Whitlow Delano - http://www.jameswhitlowdelano.com/
Emilio Morenatti - http://www.emiliomorenatti.com/
Jake Price - http://www.lightstalkers.org/jakeprice
Justin Mott - http://justinmott.com/main.php
Kate Holt - http://www.kateholt.com/
Luis Liwanag - http://www.lightstalkers.org/luisliwanag
Michael Williamson - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/poy/michael/index.htm
Mike Goldwater - http://www.mikegoldwater.com/
Moises Saman - http://www.moisessaman.com/
Nasser Nasser -  http://ap.org
Prakash Singh- http://prakashsingh.com/about.htm
Shawn Baldwin - http://www.shawnbaldwin.com/main.php
Tomas Munita - http://www.tomasmunita.com/
Tyler Hicks - http://www.lightstalkers.org/tyler_hicks01
Eddie Gerald - http://www.geophotos.com/

Nuru Project is a group that seeks to leverage photography to act as an agent for social change in the developing world. Through hosting photography auction events, we raise money and awareness to help address social issues related to poverty in the developing world. We source photographs from photographers interested in using their art to give back to the communities in which they have shot. Proceeds from print sales go back to a worthy organization operating in the country/region where the photograph was taken.

Nuru Project will be hosting a charitable photography auction and multimedia event centered on the World Food Crisis. As estimated by the aid group Oxfam, 967 million people worldwide now suffer from hunger – 119 million more than before the steep climb in energy and staple food prices. The world’s poor spend more than half of their income on food and this figure can climb as high as 80% in some communities. As a result even a slight increase in prices can have devastating effects. Hunger brings out the most basic of survival instincts and can lead to riots and social unrest, which can affect all of us, not just those who must go without food. By raising awareness of this crisis and by donating proceeds from auction sales to the Friends of the World Food Program, Nuru Project hopes to enable you to help alleviate this problem.

On November 20^th from 7-10pm, Nuru Project will hold an event at DCTV, located at 87 Lafayette Street (between White and Walker). Take the N,Q,R,W, the 6, or the J,M,Z to the Canal St. stop. The event will feature more than 30 images, taken in various developing nations affected by the food crisis, which will be available for purchase via a silent auction. Along with these powerful images, Nuru Project will show a few short video clips to further contextualize the impact of the food crisis. Beer and wine, along with some light snacks, will be provided during the evening.

We hope that you will join us at this event. If you have additional questions, please see our FAQ and/or feel free to contact us directly at info@nuruproject.org.

Last night, Chris, Daniel, Omri, and I attended the kickoff event for Young Professionals for Acumen Fund at Saks Fifth Avenue.

For those who are not familiar, Acumen Fund is “a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solves the problems of poverty. Acumen Fund’s investments focus on delivering affordable, critical goods and services - like health, water, housing and evergy - through innovative, market-oriented approaches.”

The Young Professionals for Acumen Fund is “a growing community of over 200 young professionals who seek to support Aumen Fund’s mission of transformative business to solve the probelms of poverty in the developing world.”

It’s all very interesting stuff and we were honored to be invited by Acumen’s Molly Alexander. There were delicious snacks and plenty of sparkling water. Wine tasting following brief addresses by John Coatsworth, Dean at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, and by Acumen Fund Fellow Catherine Casey. Catherine related her experiences working in Nairobi, Kenya with Sustainable Healthcare Foundation, a micro-franchise healthcare and drug distribution chain.

Catherine talked about her experience of the post-election violence in Kenya, a story that resonated with us at Nuru as our first show back in February was in response to that situation.

We at Nuru hope to tap the level of excitement that we witnessed last night among such a dynamic group of young people focused around working for change for the world’s poor. And we look forward to working directly with Acumen in future.

So come out on Nov 20th at 7pm at DCTV in TriBeCa and join us!

JB

After a few hiccups, we’ve nailed down a space for our next photo auction! We have a great print line-up and will also be showing a few short films. As you probably know from recent blog posts, the topic of this show is the world food crisis. All proceeds will benefit the U.N.’s World Food Program.

Quick Recap (formal details and invitation to follow):

What: photo auction and event
Where: DCTV
When: Thursday, November 20th
Why: to raise awareness about the world food crisis

See you there!

This article highlights the concern many relief officials have regarding the recent decline in commodity prices.  Since their peak in June, many agricultural commodities have fallen close to 50%.  Does this mean that there is no longer a global food crisis?  We tend to agree with many relief experts who point out that the drop in price in the commodity futures market does not necessarily imply that the hungry individuals in developing nations will suddenly be able to receive necessary nurishment.   Despite the recent decline, prices have still increased substantially in recent years and it is important for leaders and donors not to lose sight of the nearly 1 billion people worldwide that suffer from hunger.

Yesterday (October 16th) marked the United Nation’s World Food Day.  Experts from several nations met in Dublin to discuss the difficult challenge of defeating world hunger.  This brief article contains some interesting comments from both Jeffrey Sachs, economist and Third World development expert, and Sheila Sisulu, deputy director of the U.N.’s World Food Program.

Hopefully some meaningful progress was made towards this necessary cause.

This recent article about the current methods to fight hunger in Niger highlights an interesting debate regarding models used to fight hunger.  The article highlights the need to focus on creating a community-based solution that provides those seeking help a sense of dignity, ownership and pride.  It is true that oftentimes poor management, lack of transparency and corruption from local organizations can lead to serious problems in providing aid.  However, does that mean developing nations should enter unfamiliar communities and cultures and impose their methodologies without consulting or involving the communities members?  The answer to this question depends on the specific project and region, but my gut feeling is that providing communities with a sense of validation and respect goes a long way towards creating sustainable solutions to the problems these communities face.  But regardless of my opinion, it is certainly a question that one should consider when thinking about the best way to help those in need.

Adding on to a prior post regarding the potential for foreign investment into developing nations to decrease as a result of the tumultuous market conditions, a recent article notes that the impact of the financial crisis on the developed world could lead to a decline in aid and investment for those less fortunate countries.  While the article highlights that the financial crisis could actually serve to potentially reduce demand for agricultural commodities and thus decrease the temporary cost of food, it also notes that such a decrease in prices could actually serve to undermine the efforts to increase investment in sustainable agriculture in developing nations.  While any immediate relief provided by lower food prices would be welcome, we believe it is important to keep a longer-term outlook that seeks to not simply provide aid to the problem but that also seeks to develop a sustainable solution.

While many of us are understandably concerned with the current financial crisis the world faces, it is important to keep in mind that there is an ongoing food crisis that affects countless individuals around the world which also deserves our attention.

Jonas Bendiksen is a Magnum photographer and was featured in a benefit Nuru Project worked on earlier this year regarding the violence in Kenya.

Working with the Aperture Foundation, Jonas has completed The Places We Live, currently on exhibition in Oslo. While this may only be of direct use to our massive Norwegian fan base, the project is also online and we’d highly recommend giving it a look.

In 2008 more people live in cities than in rural areas. One third of city dwellers, more than a billion people, live in slums. In The Places We Live, Magnum photographer Jonas Bendiksen presents sixteen homes in four different slum areas: Caracas, Venezuela; Mumbai, India; Nairobi, Kenya; and Jakarta, Indonesia.

The exhibition, a unique multimedia installation, challenges viewers to reflect on what it means to live in a city in the 21st century. Bendiksen has visited four slums selected according to geographical spread and variation. He depicts various aspects of slum life, from worst-offs to slum chiefs.

An accompanying book is available for purchase.