From Documentarian to Humanitarian
1
THREE VINEYARD GAZETTE, MARTHA’S VINEYARD, MASS. FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2012 19 South Summer Street 508-627-3757 www.mvlandvest.com 65 SCHOOL STREET Located on one of Edgartown’s most desirable streets and only several blocks from both Main Street and Edgartown Harbor lies this very special newly built residence. The property was designed by noted architect Patrick Ahearn and creatively offers all of today’s desired amenities. The main residence features five bedrooms all with private baths, a family room / kitchen, dining room and large screen porch, all with fireplaces, as well as a den/office and a finished lower level with media room and full bath. The property is beautifully landscaped, has a attached two car garage, a pool and one bedroom/one bath pool house. Exclusively offered. Please inquire. ISLAND BUSINESS FOR SALE!! Profitable home service business for over 15 years High-end & well-established client base Includes manager and trained crew FOR INQUIRES EMAIL: [email protected] E N E R G Y south mountain co. 508 693.4850 • SOUTHMOUNTAIN.COM/ENERGY DESIGNING & BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE SINCE 1975 Solar for Everyone! Remarkably favorable leases are now available (for the 99%). It’s time to plug in. Call us to schedule a solar lease consultation 508 693.4850 WAREHOUSE SALE! SAT, APRIL 7 th 10-6 SUN, APRIL 8 th 12-4 POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT Paid for by Scott and Megan Anderson, P.O. Box 3773, Edgartown, MA 02539 · [email protected] SPRING SALE 20%-60% OFF April 6th - 9th (in store, online or by phone) MAIN ST. • VINEYARD HAVEN 508-693-2284 VOTED BEST JEWELER get lazy! The Lazy Frog 42 Circuit Ave Oak Bluffs 508-696-HOPY (4679) www.mvthelazyfrog.com Outdoor fun • Sporting goods • Board games Celebrating fun & leisure - You deserve to play! Please Adopt Us This month, the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard celebrates its third year of operation. We are proud of the fact that over 400 animals — cats, dogs, bunnies, guinea pigs and hamsters have found wonderful homes in those three years. Our great staff and dedicated volunteers have worked tirelessly to care for all those wonderful animals and we thank everyone who has do- nated money, blankets, food, cleaning supplies, toys and even furniture to help us keep the shelter in operation. We are so grateful to all the Islanders, off-Islanders and summer residents who have helped. This week we are featuring a beau- tiful long-haired black and white cat named Fannie; she is six years old and strikingly marked. She loves people and gets along well with the other cats. Won’t you come and see her? Other cats available for adoption are: Barley, a loving cat who was given up for adoption because her owner devel- oped severe al- lergies; Chloe, and Butter, two sweet tortoise- shells; Molly, another tor- toiseshell, new to the shelter and a big, sweet love who would be a nice lapful for some lucky person; Lily and Ceilia, two black kitties who love to roam around the shelter and greet everyone; Quitsa, the old man of the group, who was abandoned in Chilmark and needs someone special to love. On Saturday, April 14, the annual ra- bies clinic will be held at two locations on the Island — the shelter will host a clinic from 10 a.m. to noon and the West Tisbury fire station on State Road will host a clinic from 10 to 11 a.m. The cost is $15 per animal and the shot is good for one year. In order to receive a three-year vaccine, you must show proof that your pet received a one-year shot within nine to 12 months before the clinic date. So be sure to bring your previous rabies certificate with you. If you have any questions, call the shelter or your veterinarian. Shelter hours are Wednesdays 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The shelter is closed Sunday through Tuesday. The telephone number is 508-627-8662. Documentarian to Humanitarian By PETER BRANNEN Last month documentary filmmaker Len Morris of Vineyard Haven ac- cepted the 2012 Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor from the U.S. Department of Labor at a ceremony in Washington D.C. But Mr. Morris does not have the luxury of basking in the afterglow of the award ceremony. His Kenyan Schoolhouse program, now in its tenth year, is cur- rently putting 34 former child laborers and street children through second- ary school, thanks mainly to Island donations, and on Thursday morning this week he got the bill for the latest semester: $4,125, due May 1. Mr. Morris came to the cause of end- ing child labor unexpectedly, after a career as a filmmaker covering subjects as diverse as singing cowboys, Jewish history, and Dizzie Gillespie. In 1998 he was assigned to document child labor conditions for a congressional report on the country’s trade partners. “It was a job,” he said in an interview Tuesday at his Vineyard Haven home. “Then when I got there and started to see what we were talking about it shocked me. I just had no idea it was going to be so intense, so overwhelm- ing.” Work filming in Kenya, Brazil, In- donesia, India, Nepal, Mexico and the United States led to two documenta- ries, Stolen Childhoods and Rescuing Emmanuel. A third film about the role of global financial and governmental organizations in redressing the abuses of child labor, The Same Heart, is due out this fall. The Kenyan Schoolhouse project began in 2002, when Mr. Morris and his crew, which includes his wife and filmmaking partner, Georgia, encoun- tered pesticide-coated children, some as young as nine, on a plantation pick- ing coffee in Kenya. Much of that cof- fee would end up in the supply chain of familiar multinational corporations. Unsurprisingly, documenting the plight of underage laborers has proven to be fraught with hazard. “I’m just a normal schmo,” Mr. Mor- ris said laughing. “If I go to a park and the sign says ‘No dogs,’ I’ll put my dog back in the car and go to another park. So being chased off places where chil- dren are being exploited by people who want to inflict physical harm on you is not fun, and it’s not something you want to be doing in your 50s, running like you’re 10 years old. And there was a good bit of that because you’re not welcome at these places. The welcome mat is not out.” When filming ended in Kenya Mr. Morris and his crew found they could not sever the ties to their subjects with the customary dispassion of a docu- mentary crew. Instead, they became part of the story. At the time primary school enrollment cost $50 a year, a figure that made education out of reach for half the country’s population. “We got to know these kids and we got to like them,” he said. “On the last day when we knew we were leav- ing, I looked around this village and there were 30 kids and I went, hmmm, 30 kids, 50 bucks apiece. Hey guys, how much money you have? In my mind it was like they’re hungry, they’re covered in pes- ticides, they shouldn’t be here, they shouldn’t be doing this. This sucks. Fifteen hundred dollars will make it unsuck.” When they got back to the States the film crew realized it had made a commitment to the children’s educa- tion. In the 10 years since, the Kenyan Schoolhouse program, and by exten- sion the Vineyard, has put more than 400 children through school. Do- nation boxes for the program dot the counters of Island busi- nesses such as Tony’s Mar- ket, Jim’s Market, Cro- nig’s Market, Alley’s Gen- eral Store, Larsen’s Fish Market, Island Entertainment, Morning Glory Farm, 7a Foods, Tis- bury Farm Market and hopefully more stores in the near future. In his most recent visit to Kenya in September Mr. Morris met four of Pictures by Ivy Ashe PETRA LENT MCCARRON AND LEN MORRIS AT THEIR OFFICE IN VINEYARD HAVEN. Picture Courtesy Len Morris A YOUNG GIRL AND BOY PICKING COFFEE IN NAIROBI, KENYA. the young men who had received an education thanks to the good will of an Island a world away. One of them was working on the coffee plantation during that formative visit in 2002. “You don’t remember me, but I re- member the first day you came to the plantation,” the young man said. “I was picking coffee. I was 10 years old.” “It was touching and it was deeply moving and it was awesome,” Mr. Mor- ris said of the experience. “It was fabu- lous.” Students in the program have earned scholarships to attend college for engi- neering, architecture and chemistry. “This proves that poverty isn’t a final destination for these kids,” he said. “You’re not stupid just because you’re born poor. One of the chil- dren currently enrolled in the Masai area, William Muto, the headmaster describes as the most brilliant and talented child he’s ever seen in his career as an educator.” While the vicissitudes of the global financial system have been acutely felt in the developing world, Mr. Morris and his co-producer, Petra Lent McCarron, say the toolkit for social entrepreneurs to bring about change has been greatly expanded in the past decade, pointing to the success of campaigns like the KONY 2012 online video viewed by over 100 million people. “I think it’s amazing,” Mr. Morris said. “I think it’s terrific. I can under- stand stepping back and saying, are we really going to have our foreign policy influenced by social network- ing? It raises some really interesting questions, but the genie’s out of the bottle.” In 2008 Mr. Morris launched Media Voices for Children, a Web site billed as the “Huffington Post for children’s issues,” that aggregates the work of THE KENYAN SCHOOLHOUSE PROJECT BEGAN IN 2002. over 120 organizations and activists on child labor issues. While he has plenty of statistics at the ready to discourage even the most optimistic Pollyanna — there are 220 million child labor- ers in the world, 2.5 million children with HIV, a half billion people go to bed hungry at night — Mr. Morris believes one should never lose sight of individual lives. “This matters,” he said. “It matters to these children. They will change the lives of other children in their commu- nities, they will be role models within their families. They will change things in concentric circles around them. They are, in very real terms, lives saved.” To donate to the Kenyon Schoolhouse project, go to kenyonschoolhouse.org. Martial Arts Awards Two Vineyard martial arts students competed recently in the New England Classic at Franklin Pierce University. Julia Bettencourt placed first in Kata and sparring, while Preston Averill took first in sparring. Sensei Timothy Mer- riman of Blitz Fitness placed fourth in his division, while Team Blitz Fitness took third in team fighting.
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Feature article on Len Morris and the Kenyan Schoolhouse program. First published in the Vineyard Gazette's April 6 2012 edition. Reprinted with permission.
Transcript of From Documentarian to Humanitarian
THREEvinEyaRd gazETTE, maRTHa’s vinEyaRd, mass.FRiday, apRil 6, 2012
3
19 South Summer Street 508-627-3757
www.mvlandvest.com
65 School StreetLocated on one of Edgartown’s most desirable streets and only several blocks from both Main Street
and Edgartown Harbor lies this very special newly built residence. The property was designed by noted architect Patrick Ahearn and creatively offers all of today’s desired amenities. The main residence features five bedrooms all with private baths, a family room / kitchen, dining room and large screen porch, all with fireplaces, as well as a den/office and a finished lower level with media room and full bath. The property is beautifully landscaped, has a attached two car garage, a pool and one bedroom/one bath pool house.
Exclusively offered. Please inquire.
ISLAND BUSINESS FOR SALE!!
Profitable home service business for over 15 years High-end & well-established client base Includes manager and trained crew
FOR INQUIRES EMAIL: [email protected]
E N E R G Y
southmountain co.
5 0 8 6 9 3 . 4 8 5 0 • S O U T H M O U N TA I N . C O M / E N E R G Y
D E S I G N I N G & B U I L D I N G F O R T H E F U T U R E S I N C E 1 9 7 5
Solar for Everyone!Remarkably favorable leases are now available (for the 99%).
It’s time to plug in.Call us to schedule a solarlease consultation508 693.4850
warehouse sale! sat, april 7th 10-6
sun, april 8th 12-4
POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT
Paid for by Scott and Megan Anderson, P.O. Box 3773, Edgartown, MA 02539 · [email protected]
SPRING SALE
20%-60% OFFApril 6th - 9th(in store, online or by phone)
MAIN ST. • VINEYARD HAVEN 508-693-2284
vOtEd bESt jEwELER
get lazy!
The Lazy Frog42 Circuit Ave Oak Bluffs
508-696-HOPY (4679) www.mvthelazyfrog.com
Outdoor fun • Sporting goods • Board games
Celebrating fun & leisure - You deserve to play!
Please Adopt Us This month, the animal shelter of martha’s vineyard celebrates its third year of operation. We are proud of the fact that over 400 animals — cats, dogs, bunnies, guinea pigs and hamsters have found wonderful homes in those three years. Our great staff and dedicated volunteers have worked tirelessly to care for all those wonderful animals and we thank everyone who has do-nated money, blankets, food, cleaning supplies, toys and even furniture to help us keep the shelter in operation. We are so grateful to all the islanders, off-islanders and summer residents who have helped. This week we are featuring a beau-tiful long-haired black and white cat named Fannie; she is six years old and strikingly marked. she loves people and gets along well with the other cats. Won’t you come and see her? Other cats available for adoption are: Barley, a loving cat who was given up for adoption because her owner devel-oped severe al-lergies; Chloe, and Butter, two sweet tortoise-shells; molly, another tor-toiseshell, new to the shelter and a big, sweet love who would be a nice lapful for some lucky person; lily and Ceilia, two black kitties who love to roam around the shelter and greet everyone; Quitsa, the old man of the group, who was abandoned in Chilmark and needs someone special to love. On saturday, april 14, the annual ra-bies clinic will be held at two locations on the island — the shelter will host a clinic from 10 a.m. to noon and the West Tisbury fire station on state Road will host a clinic from 10 to 11 a.m. The cost is $15 per animal and the shot is good for one year. in order to receive a three-year vaccine, you must show proof that your pet received a one-year shot within nine to 12 months before the clinic date. so be sure to bring your previous rabies certificate with you. if you have any questions, call the shelter or your veterinarian. shelter hours are Wednesdays 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and saturdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The shelter is closed sunday through Tuesday. The telephone number is 508-627-8662.
Documentarian to HumanitarianBy pETER BRannEn
last month documentary filmmaker len morris of vineyard Haven ac-cepted the 2012 iqbal masih award for the Elimination of Child labor from the U.s. department of labor at a ceremony in Washington d.C. But mr. morris does not have the luxury of basking in the afterglow of the award ceremony. His Kenyan schoolhouse program, now in its tenth year, is cur-rently putting 34 former child laborers and street children through second-ary school, thanks mainly to island donations, and on Thursday morning this week he got the bill for the latest semester: $4,125, due may 1. mr. morris came to the cause of end-ing child labor unexpectedly, after a career as a filmmaker covering subjects as diverse as singing cowboys, Jewish history, and dizzie gillespie. in 1998 he was assigned to document child labor conditions for a congressional report on the country’s trade partners. “it was a job,” he said in an interview Tuesday at his vineyard Haven home. “Then when i got there and started to see what we were talking about it shocked me. i just had no idea it was going to be so intense, so overwhelm-ing.” Work filming in Kenya, Brazil, in-donesia, india, nepal, mexico and the United states led to two documenta-ries, stolen Childhoods and Rescuing Emmanuel. a third film about the role of global financial and governmental organizations in redressing the abuses of child labor, The same Heart, is due out this fall. The Kenyan schoolhouse project began in 2002, when mr. morris and his crew, which includes his wife and filmmaking partner, georgia, encoun-tered pesticide-coated children, some as young as nine, on a plantation pick-ing coffee in Kenya. much of that cof-fee would end up in the supply chain of familiar multinational corporations. Unsurprisingly, documenting the plight of underage laborers has proven to be fraught with hazard. “i’m just a normal schmo,” mr. mor-ris said laughing. “if i go to a park and the sign says ‘no dogs,’ i’ll put my dog back in the car and go to another park. so being chased off places where chil-dren are being exploited by people who want to inflict physical harm on you is not fun, and it’s not something you want to be doing in your 50s, running like you’re 10 years old. and there was a good bit of that because you’re not welcome at these places. The welcome mat is not out.” When filming ended in Kenya mr. morris and his crew found they could
not sever the ties to their subjects with the customary dispassion of a docu-mentary crew. instead, they became part of the story. at the time primary school enrollment cost $50 a year, a figure that made education out of reach for half the country’s population. “We got to know these kids and we got to like them,” he said. “On the last day when we knew we were leav-ing, i looked around this village and there were 30 kids and i went, hmmm, 30 kids, 50 bucks apiece. Hey guys, how much money you have? in my mind it was like they’re hungry, they’re covered in pes-ticides, they shouldn’t be here, they shouldn’t be doing this. This sucks. Fifteen hundred dollars will make it unsuck.”
When they got back to the states the film crew realized it had made a commitment to the children’s educa-tion. in the 10 years since, the Kenyan schoolhouse program, and by exten-
sion the vineyard, has put more than 400 children
through school. do-nation boxes for
the program dot the counters of island busi-nesses such as Tony’s mar-ket, Jim’s market, Cro-nig’s market, alley’s gen-eral store,
larsen’s Fish market, island
Entertainment, morning glory
Farm, 7a Foods, Tis-bury Farm market and
hopefully more stores in the near future.
in his most recent visit to Kenya in september mr. morris met four of
Pictures by Ivy AshepETRa lEnT mcCaRROn and lEn mORRis aT THEiR OFFiCE in vinEyaRd HavEn.
Picture Courtesy Len Morris
a yOUng giRl and BOy piCKing COFFEE in naiROBi, KEnya.
the young men who had received an education thanks to the good will of an island a world away. One of them was working on the coffee plantation during that formative visit in 2002. “you don’t remember me, but i re-member the first day you came to the plantation,” the young man said. “i was picking coffee. i was 10 years old.” “it was touching and it was deeply moving and it was awesome,” mr. mor-ris said of the experience. “it was fabu-lous.” students in the program have earned scholarships to attend college for engi-neering, architecture and chemistry. “This proves that poverty isn’t a final destination for these kids,” he said. “you’re not stupid just because you’re born poor. One of the chil-dren currently enrolled in the masai area, William muto, the headmaster describes as the most brilliant and talented child he’s ever seen in his career as an educator.” While the vicissitudes of the global financial system have been acutely felt in the developing world, mr. morris and his co-producer, petra lent mcCarron, say the toolkit for social entrepreneurs to bring about change has been greatly expanded in the past decade, pointing to the success of campaigns like the KOny 2012 online video viewed by over 100 million people. “i think it’s amazing,” mr. morris said. “i think it’s terrific. i can under-stand stepping back and saying, are we really going to have our foreign policy influenced by social network-ing? it raises some really interesting questions, but the genie’s out of the bottle.” in 2008 mr. morris launched media voices for Children, a Web site billed as the “Huffington post for children’s issues,” that aggregates the work of
THE KEnyan sCHOOlHOUsE pROJECT BEgan in 2002.
over 120 organizations and activists on child labor issues. While he has plenty of statistics at the ready to discourage even the most optimistic pollyanna — there are 220 million child labor-ers in the world, 2.5 million children with Hiv, a half billion people go to bed hungry at night — mr. morris believes one should never lose sight of individual lives.
“This matters,” he said. “it matters to these children. They will change the lives of other children in their commu-nities, they will be role models within their families. They will change things in concentric circles around them. They are, in very real terms, lives saved.”
To donate to the Kenyon Schoolhouse project, go to kenyonschoolhouse.org.
Martial Arts Awards Two vineyard martial arts students competed recently in the new England Classic at Franklin pierce University. Julia Bettencourt placed first in Kata and sparring, while preston averill took first in sparring. sensei Timothy mer-riman of Blitz Fitness placed fourth in his division, while Team Blitz Fitness took third in team fighting.
