It’s About the Children Thomas Tham Thomas Tham strongly believes that a good honest picture is worth a thousand words. “A complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image, often captured in seconds. It also aptly characterises one of the main goals of visualisation, namely making it possible to absorb large amounts of data quickly,” he explains. The Malaysia-born lensman has studied in Singapore and UK, and spent many years working for voluntary welfare and social organisations. “I spent four years as a social worker/case manager with Care Corner Family Service Centre, and six years with Home Nursing Foundation as an Information Technology manager,” he says. Photography was just a hobby when he enrolled at the Photographic Society of Singapore in 1989. But today it has evolved into a medium to tell the stories of disadvantaged people, especially the children. “Since 2008, I have been using photography to advocate the rights of children who have been forced to work in hazardous environments.” He is also vocal about not treating them as mere subject materials. “Often, street children or impoverished families are seen as good photography subjects, and not as human beings,” says Tham. “Part of what I have been doing, both intentionally and unintentionally, is to change that mindset. It should not be an exploitation, but an opportunity to advocate conditions for children facing hardships.” His mission has taken him to Cambodia where he works closely with the village communities in Phnom Penh and Kratie. “I have initiated a scholarship programme that is now benefiting 60 scavenger children in a Phnom Penh slum. These children now attend an international school and are doing really well with five of them clinching the top two positions in their respective levels,” Tham explains. “In Kratie, I managed to raise funds to recruit nine teachers who are coaching 300 students from two extremely poor villages.” Currently, Tham is working in Manila, concentrating on the landfill and charcoal-manufacturing communities. There are approximately 10,000 children living in hazardous conditions with many deprived of any kind of education. “I visited Philippines several times, and have always been interested in the living conditions of those working in the charcoal factory as well as the scavengers in the dumping grounds,” he says. His usual approach is to meet people first and focus on photography later. “I came into contact with the residents in such places and began to listen to their stories. I realised once again that people do not want handouts, maybe just a hand up…they simply want to be recognised and valued.” “I realised once again that people do not want handouts, maybe just a hand up…they simply want to be recognised and valued, just like you and me.” Along with a couple of pastors who were also working there, Tham started several programmes, and is happy to note that today there is a good number of children attending school and taking part in other activities. “We have a feeding programme that we would like to sustain and expand. I am encouraged to see the community come together for their children. The parents get involved in our projects too,” he adds. Tham’s mission is not without health hazards. “I was infected with the Hepatitis A virus in January 2013. I would have died if not for the care of the local community in the Manila landfill where I’ve lived before. They took turns to attend to me until I recovered. Even the doctors in Singapore said it was a miracle I survived without proper medical facilities,” he says. There are other obstacles as well, such as threats from syndicate gangs who exploit these communities. The rewards, however, far outweigh the challenges. “In this journey, I have made a lot of friends, learned their ways of life and seen their resilience. Through photography, I hope to mobilise resources towards a meaningful course.” Plans are afoot to expand these programmes to countries like Thailand and India. To budding photographers, especially those who want to contribute to society, Tham’s advice is simple: “Be mentally present, be respectful of your work and of yourself, but most importantly, be respectful of your human subjects. Even if you never get to talk to a person, understand you will be presenting them to a public, and you will do right by doing so in a sensitive and respectful way.” From singaporemagazine.sif.org.sg/a-view-to-a-change/
Posted on: Fri, 06 Jun 2014 04:12:13 +0000
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