Photoshare Newsletter - December 2006

1. Photographer Spotlight

Germain Tabati

Profile: Germain Tabati, a 26-year-old from Togo, first took interest in photography and public health at a young age. Recognizing the lack of health services within his community, Germain sought out youth clubs associated with humanitarian agencies in an effort to learn more about development. After joining a UNESCO club in 1995, Germain focused on public health, particularly family planning, because he believed that sustainable development was not possible without a strong focus on family planning. In his community he saw firsthand that families that adopted a family planning strategy were happy and healthy compared to those without an understanding of family planning.

Germain is currently the director of an organization for young people (PICTA: Programme International Contre la Toxicomanie en Afrique) and believes photography is an essential element in his programs. He says, “Our principal objective is to work for positive social development for youth, especially through health education and cultural activities.” Germain uses photography to focus on the problems that undermine his community, and sees photography as an important tool in documenting his work, while demonstrating its value to funding agencies whose support is needed to solve social problems. Germain says, “We use photography to sensitize, explain, and show realities to those who are not familiar with them, helping us advance our development programs.”

Through Photoshare, Germain’s photographs continue to help others understand the realities of health and development in Togo. Germain says, “Photoshare is a positive reference within the framework of information on the projects and actions of development.”


See all photos by Germain Tabati
See list of all contributing photographers 

Photoshare would like to recognize INTRAC for including both the Photoshare caption and the photographer's credit in an HTML tag (mouse over) on their website for a section about Aid Architecture. See a screenshot below. See also: more information on Crediting Photoshare Images (PowerPoint).

4. Photos and Equipment Needed