gallery one | Unconditional Love
Beira Central Hospital, Mozambique
Acutely malnourished children are nourished in this malnutrition clinic. In Mozambique, approximately 6% of children under 5 years are chronically malnourished—about 250,000 in absolute numbers. The causes are HIV, diseases such as malaria, pneumonia, or lack of food related to poverty. Treatment of acute malnutrition takes approximately 20 days. Normally, children suffering from acute malnutrition can be fully cured without any lasting damage.
The Central Hospital in the city of Beira is the only hospital for four districts. More than 9 million people are dependent on the Central Hospital. Quote of doctor: “I’d rather see 20 acutely malnourished children than 10 chronically malnourished children. Acutely malnourished children I can get healthy again, but the damage from chronic malnutrition is irreversible.”
Parents or grandparents are with the children night and day. In the days I visited the clinic, I got to know them a little better. What I saw was unconditional love and this is how I wanted to portray them.
About Chris de Bode
Chris is a documentary and portrait photographer and film director. He became interested in photography during his previous career as a professional climbing instructor. Following a trip to Palestine, he decided to focus his work on humanitarian issues. He has travelled to more than 70 countries collecting stories.
Chris always tries to find different angles to visualize a story. Currently, he is capturing the dreams of children worldwide and focuses on Syrian Refugee issues. When at home, Chris is available for assignments in the Netherlands.
Chris is commissioned by several NGOs like Save the Children NL who commissined this work, Stop Aids Now, MSF, Greenpeace, VSO, CARE, Oxfam, and Cordaid. He has worked with several UN branches like UNFPA, UNHCR, and WHO. He also has broad experience in mentoring workshops in several countries, educating photographers on all levels who focus on storytelling in pictures.
Chris is represented by Panos Pictures and LAIF. www.ChrisdeBode.com