SOCIAL IMPACT · 2007–2027
H.O.P.E
Happiness · Obstinacy · Purpose · Education
In 2007, I photographed 350+ children across Cambodia — orphanages, street schools, floating villages, rural communities. In 2027, I return to find them. Twenty years. The same faces. Different lives.
Most photographers capture a moment. I'm documenting a generation.
THE ORIGIN
HOW IT BEGAN
2007. Director Mitch Webber at Ogilvy Action Bangkok invites me to Cambodia. The brief: create a charity calendar for children in need. The entry point: Sunrise Cambodia, an orphanage in Siem Reap.
The calendar was never commercially released. The photographs survived. The International Photo Awards 2007 recognized them with an Honorable Mention, People category.
THE PROJECT THEY CANCELLED BECAME THE PROTOTYPE FOR EVERYTHING I DO.
HOPE wasn't a failure. Photo Art Asia 2008 proved it. Seventeen years of social impact work confirmed it.
THE APPROACH
No Fixers. No Schedule. Just a Tuk-Tuk and a Camera.
I spent days crossing Siem Reap — neighbourhoods, districts, street schools, villages along the Tonlé Sap, the hospital. I'd get out, photograph, offer toy keychains to the children as thanks, and move on.
Some afternoons marked me permanently: women telling me about surviving the Khmer Rouge. Children overflowing with energy despite everything around them.
THAT'S WHAT DOCUMENTARY MEANS. YOU DON'T DIRECT THE SCENE. YOU EARN YOUR PRESENCE IN IT.
THE NUMBERS
TWENTY YEARS LATER
RECONNECT
Do You Recognize This Child?
350 children photographed in 2007. Twenty years later, we're looking for them. Help us reconnect with the faces of Cambodian childhood.
A NATION HELPS FIND 350 FACES.
Discover Reconnect
Bouton fuchsia plein : FOLLOW THE SEARCH → [lien Instagram ou Facebook dédié]
Bouton border blanc : SHARE TO HELP → #ReconnectHOPE
The campaign launches 2026. Every share counts.
PARTNERSHIPS
A Transmedia Documentary Project in Active Development.
Photography. Film. Exhibitions. Community health. Educational publishing. H.O.P.E is a multi-dimensional social impact project spanning two decades and two countries.
Institutional partnerships, exhibition venues, co-production collaborations, and funding partners welcome.
FULL PROJECT DOSSIER AVAILABLE FOR INSTITUTIONS, FOUNDATIONS, AND CULTURAL PARTNERS.
RECOGNITION
IPA Honorable Mention, People 2007 · Alexia Foundation + PhMuseum + Grant & World Report Award | Documenting Humanity + Grand Prix Photo Saint-Tropez — submitted 2026.
Project updates. Reconnect stories. Cambodia dispatches.
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