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"Through the Eyes of Childhood": thoughts of children from
the North and South

Children's charities operating in developing countries strive day after day to understand and combat the effects of poverty on the lives of children. However, how do children themselves view their situation? How do they interpret the world around them? What are their dreams for the future?

Enfants du Monde put these questions to more than 100 children from 6 to 14 years old in Switzerland, Bangladesh, India, Bolivia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Burkina Faso and Madagascar. These children took and captioned photos which according to them symbolise wealth, poverty and the future. More than 300 captioned photos were collected.

Results from this project – begun in 2002 – are extremely valuable and have led to:

Photo exhibition touring in Switzerland

photo of the photo exhibition touring in Switzerland, Geneva

The exhibition has been presented many times in schools and public places, for example on the shores of Lake Geneva, at the Industrial Services headquarters in Geneva or at the Kornhausforum Cultural Centre in Bern, and has always proved a great success.

Online photo exhibition

photo of the online photo exhibition

It provides exposure for the entire collection of photos, not just the limited selection presented at the exhibition touring Switzerland. Any class or organised group is invited to contribute to the development of this virtual exhibition.

Teaching pack

photo of the cover of the teaching pack "Riche, Pauvre, ... ça veut dire quoi?"

This consists of educational material for 9 to 15 years old pupils. From the photos in the "Through the Eyes of Childhood" exhibition, pupils tackle notions of wealth, poverty and future with the teacher's guidance.