Lens on Life began running photography workshops in Goma in 2016, and in 2018 we opened our first school there. The program grew to serve students aged 13 to 24 through year-round courses. Students who completed the full curriculum, which took just over a year, earned a Canon DSLR camera to carry into professional work in photography, journalism, and storytelling. We held exhibitions with the French Institute, where students showed their work, and partnered with local organizations like the Eastern Congo Initiative to place graduates in internships as staff photographers. Several went on to work as journalists for The Washington Post and The New York Times.
In early 2025, fighting tore Goma apart. Thousands were killed within days and in-person classes were no longer safe or possible. Rather than close the program, we eventaully moved it to a remote model so our students and instructors could keep working through the disruption.
Goma is where Lens on Life started, and we are staying with our students there in whatever form the situation allows. Watch the short film below to learn more.
