Gogo

Location: Diepsloot, South Africa
Date: June 2015
Photographer: Grace Berichon
Home Country: United States
University Affiliation: Undergraduate Student
Category: People
Award: Honorable Mention

"Gogo" means "Grandmother" in Zulu -- one of the 11 official languages in South Africa. During my year-long mission in South Africa, I got to know this family and their hardships. This photo was taken on film in a small, one room tin shack where the baby was sleeping. Gogo is now the guardian of the child after they lost the mother to her battle with AIDS. With limit resources, unorganized transportation, and overcrowded clinics, this story was one we heard too often. I took this photo because Gogo asked me to. People in Diepsloot do not have printed pictures of themselves, and she wanted to have one to give to her granddaughter. She was overjoyed when I returned the hard copy to her. This picture is so special to me because I got to be apart of that beautiful moment. But this picture will not just be one moment for Gogo and her granddaughter, they will look at this picture together for years to come, and remember how special there are to each other."