"Be the change you want to see"

Image by Sana Ginwalla

Oprah, Barack Obama, Yara Shahidi and Malala Yousafzai, one thing they all have in common is being positive agents of change in society. For long I always thought having enough money would be a gateway to achieving my goal of starting an organisation to help people. I also felt I would not be of much help because I am not famous nor popular enough to gain attention for my cause. The problem with the two thoughts is that, money will never be enough and there's a lot that can be done to help without money. Secondly,
the difference between me and famous people is that I end at dreaming, whilst they put their dreams into action.

I am yet to come up with a solid plan but I would love to go to Zambia, my home country, and start a small project to help high school students. It may or may not work but I have nothing to lose apart from time which goes by regardless of how its used. 

Images by @sana.onanas

My other source of inspiration to carry out this project has been a piece of work I came across on Instagram called "Kunyumba"-meaning home-by Sana Ginwalla. Despite not knowing her I felt a connection and was inspired by the fact that she captured the lives of the domestic workers who work at her house and gave them a voice. In her own words:

This project is a personal exploration of my sense of home, identity and belonging. Though I have Indian and Burmese roots, Zambia is where I was born and brought up. These photographs are of the domestic workers that my family employs. 

In order for me to understand their lives outside of their workplace, I decided to reverse roles and visit each person and their families in the context of their “nyumba”. Photographing this part of their life made the reality of their situations much more apparent to me than in all the years of knowing them. 

“Kunyumba” is a tribute and exploration of my relationship with the people who split their lives between my house and theirs for sake of making a livelihood. They are home to me. - Sana Ginwalla

If you scroll down her page you will be able to read snippets of the individual's stories under the heading Kunyumba. The longer versions are in pdf currently and yet to be published as a book, which I hope you can get your hands on some day because I loved it.I have also attached a few pictures of the workers in their home. Sana is an example of how you do not have to be an Obama or Oprah to be a positive agent of change.