There was a convent called Pangoma where we hosted all of our trainings for both malaria and communications activities. The convent was either a 20-minute drive from our field office in Gbadolite or a 30-minute walk through a quiet little village. More often than not I opted for the peaceful walks through the village. Most times I would bring my camera and snap photos of village life on my way to and from the office. This is a photo I took of a woman who lived on the main path. One day I asked her if I could snap a couple of pictures of her working in her yard. She didn’t speak French and I didn’t speak Lingala, so we both just communicated with hands, eyes and smiles. She was such a sweet and gentle soul. It felt calming just to be around her and this also came through in the photos I took of her. This was one of the things I loved most about photographing Congolese people in remote villages, they had no filter. Everything they were on the inside was present right there on their face. No posing. Just being.

During this time I always traveled with a little Canon photo printer so I could give copies of the photos I took of friends I made in the villages. A few days later I delivered a portrait that I took of her and she was practically in tears. Most people in these remote parts have never seen a photo of themselves so it’s really something special to be able to give them one. Even though we couldn’t communicate in words we became friends and I always enjoyed stopping by her parcel to say hi on my walks.

Magic 86/365, A Gentle Soul, Gbadolite, Nord Ubangi, DRC, March 2016