“Water Meets The Sky”  is a film created via the efforts of the organization Camfed- a UK/US based non-profit which supports educational opportunities for girls in Africa.  The film is the result of Camfed’s belief that films can be a deeply important piece of social change.  The film was made by a group of women in a remote region of northern Zambia, most of whom are very poor, illiterate, and have rarely seen film before. They worked with two filmmakers to learn how to make a film as a way to speak out about their lives.  The women chose the topic, an issue that had been traumatic for them all, and also one that was rarely spoken about:  the challenge of young women orphaned by AIDS.

The project began as a workshop about filmmaking, but evolved to become, as the site professes, “a journey in empowerment”as the women challenge long-standing silence about the issue, “and press their community to change.”  Such work is becoming more and more prevalent throughout the world, as non-profits, NGO’s, and advocacy groups utilize the tools of telling stories- film, audio, photography and social networks- to share the stories of their lives.

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