A mother and her children. Photo by Ashley Ramier.
The international internship that Ashley Ramier completed as part of her academic program certainly illustrates this quote by famous English philosopher Francis Bacon: “Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education…”
A fourth-year student in the international development and globalization program, Ashley made her way to Cape Town, South Africa, last summer and, while staying with a local family, worked for three months at the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children, South Africa’s largest aid centre for abused women and their children. The centre, which lodges roughly 20 women and dozens of children at all times, provides a number of support resources, including a 24-hour-a-day emergency shelter, short-term and long-term lodging and, especially, information, assistance and counselling.
Though her position was designed initially to develop new policies for the Centre, Ashley admits that her actual experience proved much broader and deeper.
“I ended up doing a little bit of everything: assisting women with job searching and resumé development; facilitating art therapy sessions with school kids; working at the day care, and more.”
She even took it upon herself to set up a family-photo project to help the women leave their troubled past behind. “When I realized that many women left their abuser without anything but their kids, without material possessions, without photographs, I thought these portraits could help boost the women’s self-esteem and that it could enhance my connection to them while breaking down some barriers. I hoped these photos could be a reminder of what is truly valuable in their lives.”
The photo shoots proved to be a powerful morale booster for both the women and their children. “The women were so excited! They changed out of their pajamas into bright outfits and were just beaming while they got themselves and their children ready for the photo shoot,” recalls Ashley.
For the uOttawa student, one of the many challenges she faced was shedding the image of the “all-powerful white woman” that other women in the centre saw in her. “I was perceived as having more influence than perhaps I actually did. Several women shared their problems with me, assuming I had a solution for everything,” explains Ashley. “My goal was instead to show them that I can relate to them, to their children, and that they can relate to me.”
Seeing mentally and physically ravaged children find the inner strength to continue embracing life and staying happy was inspiring for Ashley, who now wants to make a career of helping abused women and children. “I came away from my internship with much more hope for the world.”
Photo by Ashley Ramier
Photo by Ashley Ramier
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If you know a student who has done something interesting and who would be willing to share his or her story with the University community, please contact Nadia Gervais, E-Communications Officer.
What a great story!
Anyone who has ever taken a group shot knows how difficult it is to capture true emotions, especially in the context of an improvised photo shoot. But these photos are so beautiful! There must have been a lot of trust between Ashley and these individuals!
Ashley captured some very important moments and some unforgettable emotions with these pics! Students who participate in exchanges through the Faculty of Social Sciences often come out with experiences that have touched them for a lifetime. Looks like you found a way to ensure that your experience touch people back home simply through us reading about it and looking at these families’ sincere expressions. Way to go!
Quelles photos magnifiques! Très inspirant!
Beautiful and inspiring pictures. It must be an amazing feeling to know that you, personally, have made such an impact in someone’s life. These photographs will be something that these women and children will cherish for a long time to come. This was a magnificent idea you had and definitely should not go unnoticed! You should be very proud of this accomplishment. Congratulations!
Absolutely Beautiful!!! not only the photos, but the amazing connections you were able to make.
Great work Ashley. You’ve made a positive difference in these women and children’s lives and inspired others to do the same. I loved reading this article and seeing the smiles and happy faces in these photos. I can only imagine that this project must have been empowering for all involved and how this contributed to establishing trusting relationships.