Humana People to People

As a young female producer/director I felt a bit daunted to go and lead a shoot in Africa, for a major organisation with a brilliant team who had a great deal of experience behind them. It seemed overwhelming at first and a question I found myself asking was, how am I going to get anyone to take me seriously?

What I quickly discovered was that in gathering a deep understanding of what these films needed to be and how I wanted to approach them it became easy to just be myself and articulate my ideas. In doing so collaborating with everyone around me, taking in different inputs and sharing thoughts became natural and we were able to respect each other, which lead to creating better films, as well as forming great and valuable friendships in the process. My age and gender became irrelevant as I established that wasn’t what was to define me. Instead it was my ability and dedication to do the job well.

Going out to direct these films was an amazing experience, and one that inspired me massively. Not only through the invaluable lessons I learnt, the work of the organisation, but of the people we met along the way.

The Humana on-the-ground teams guided us through Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, welcoming us into their worlds. We met Tatiana in Malawi, who fell in love with the country and its people and decided to make it her permanent home. The incredible women Rita and Laurinda in Mozambique, who set up their businesses, and are now able to support their families, as well as build up their lives. Village leader Rachide, who had to rebuild his home, village and life after Cyclone Freddie hit. The students studying at Frontline who moved far from home, to places where they don’t speak the language, who are still working to share their knowledge to help stabilise local communities. None of this could be possible without the support of Humana, ADPP, and DAPP.

There is an overwhelming sense of community, belief, and motivation amongst everyone involved that makes their work so powerful. Hearing about what has been achieved is inspiring, whether it’s building a business, regulating farming for all seasons, or combating HIV/Aids and TB.

We hope people will see more of their work and join Humana’s efforts to make the world a better place.

By Nicole Georgiou