This series documents the issue of the shortage of water in the
Omo Valley of Southern Ethiopia but is representative of the
worldwide crisis concerning fresh water scarcity. Ethiopia has
always had a long dry season of normally nine months. In the
other three, enough rain fell to fill it’s many rivers, replenish
wells, and raise water tables high enough to keep the plants
green that nourish—and quench the thirst of—the scrawny
herds of cattle and goats upon which the many indigenous
tribes survive. Families walk miles to line up their yellow jerry
cans to obtain rationed water from wells. Others use donkey
carts to provide water to their homes and villages. Bathing in
diminished riverbeds is a common sight. Compounding the
problem is the corporate takeover of arable land with crops such
as cotton and sugar cane that dangerously deplete what little
water remains.
I have spent most of my career working around the globe in international development projects. During that time, I was inspired to photograph the world that many in the United States fail to see. I am fascinated by the masks that hide the individual whether psychological, social or by the face with which they were born.
