Advocate cover subjects John August and Ryan
Reynolds traveled to Africa to help build an orphanage in
Malawi. August took these candid shots of their
journey.
The day after we
recorded our interview for The Advocate, Ryan
Reynolds and I flew to Malawi—a land-locked country
in southern Africa. A former British colony, it is now
one of the poorest nations on earth. It’s been
especially hard-hit by HIV/AIDS, losing a huge portion
of its 20- to 40-year olds. Young parents, especially.
It’s now a nation of children and old people.
Friends of
Mulanje Orphans (FOMO) runs 10 centers, providing services
to 4,000 orphans. Ryan and I visited to help repair
and repaint the Gulumba Centre and to meet the kids
who are doing remarkably well in remarkably difficult
circumstances.
Photo-op The man in the suit is head of tourism
for Mulanje. Man, I don't envy his job.
Gulumba Center Four rooms. No water, no power.
Feeds 300 orphans a day.
Tough guy I tripped while chasing an orphan.
Seriously. The red dirt roads really do feel like bricks
when you hit them.
Blue plate special The danger of having a white
guy in a shot with a bunch of smiling African orphans is
that it implies he brought them the food. He
didn't--not directly, and not through any
international aid program. The kids are eating because of a
local, self-directed program.
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You can learn more information about the FOMO
program at http:// www.fomo.co.uk. August
runs a Web site to help aspiring writers, www.johnaugust.com. See more
photos on Flicker.com.