Habibi is a Spanish association founded in March 2016. Shortly thereafter they established the Habibi Center as an alternative learning center for Yazidi refugee children, with the aim to develop the children’s learning skills in communication, languages, art, culture, computing, cuisine. The second aim of the center was to help protect the Yazidi children, who, as a historically persecuted minority, were finding it difficult to integrate with the other refugee children. Since the center is located two kilometers away from the Yazidi refugee camp of Eleousa, children walk from the camp to the Habibi center everyday, spending the whole day with the teachers and volunteers.
Jungleye conducted a photography class for children between 9 and 14 years old, inviting them to express their feelings in front of the camera. The class built a photo booth complete with a light studio. Working closely with the English teacher, the students would begin the day by shooting a self-portrait expressing their mood. Then, using various software, the daily photo would become the basis of a digital collage the children would work on in the computer class.
In addition to basic English, computer and photographic skills, this daily photographic activity taught the children socio-emotional skills such as empathy for one another and how to express their emotions better. The daily photograph also helped volunteers understand the effect the inability to commingle in the camps had had on the Yazidi children and the volunteers were able to reach out to the more vulnerable children who were suffering from isolation and loneliness.
