Photojournalism 1st place winner

Wearing brightly-colored dresses, children dance through the labyrinth of shacks and narrow alleys in Kibera, the largest urban slum and one of Africa’s most desperate areas.
Nairobi's slums, with over 2.5 million people, represent more than half of its population, occupying only 5% of its area. And because of their constant population growth, there is an increase in unemployment, poverty, crime, scarcity of water and infections. Due to this heartbreaking scenario, children are the only ones who can afford to dream.
Project Elimu, “education” in Swahili, is a non-profit organization based in Kibera where Kenyan founder, and trained dance instructor, Michael has been teaching classical ballet since ‘09. He provides a safe space for children, giving them opportunities to fulfill their dreams.
The children become accomplished ballerinas, and at the same time discover their strengths.
Ballet provides a special path for these children who found “a life in balance” through their craft.
It is mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual and has increased their self-worth and has helped these children to realize they can become anything they want to be. The joy and focus I have seen on their faces tells a story far greater than words could ever express.

Born and raised in alittle village in the Italian Alps, now based in Barcelona, Mauro already feltfrom young age the desire to tell. He discovered that the camera was the righttool for him, the eye through which he could speak to the world. An instrumentthat began to walk by his side towards a long journey of discovery. Definitely,to grow by himself, without the influence of schools, courses and lessons hasslowed down the process of technical knowledge, but because of this he learnedhis own way of seeing and been formed and shaped by the environment and thepeople who surrounded him in his long travels.

“Although it is difficult to express, I thinkthat the photograph represents my way of speaking and what I try to do throughmy language is to capture the sense of what I breathe and touch with my hands.Not only in appearance but also, and especially, in the essence; trying toexpress nuances and subtleties contained in a single frame. I think that’s partof my personality and my work fully expresses what I am. My story, my soul”.