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Winner of FIGO Photography Award

Pearl Gan is the Winner of the FIGO Photography Award 2019. This announcement is featured in the FIGO’s October newsletter. You can see the winning photo and Pearl’s quotes published in FIGO’s October newsletter . This is aligned to the UN’s International Day of Rural Women.

https://www.figo.org/news/winner-2019-figo-photo-competition-0016257

I met Wini Pradina and her baby in Puskesmas Cipadung neighbourhood in Bandung, Indonesia. I just finished my day photographing tuberculosis patients and health workers in the Puskesmas Cipadung and was about to leave the local health centre when I saw the mother and child just leaving the tuberculosis clinic after a health check for tuberculosis . Wini’s husband is working as a garbage collector for their neighbourhood , including the puskemas (the local health centre ). His job has a high risk of contracting tuberculosis due to the exposure to infected patients in the local health centre. Hence regular check ups for the family is important.
I was captivated by the face of my subject, Ms Wini Pradina and the way she slings her little baby in her traditional sarong wrap. Like many of those in the disadvantaged families in the periphery of Indonesia, she had to struggle through life looking after the health of her family. I wish I could do more to help people. This wish inspires my mission as a photographer for infectious diseases; to continue my role in raising awareness and in facilitating the education of the general public about infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. Through my captured images, I hope to create an emotional connection between the viewers and the plight of the subjects. An informed public can help facilitate global efforts to help to make their lives much better and to eliminate infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis once and for all.