Guest article submitted by Amina Mohamed of Triple F Photo Tours and Cameras For Girls:

In this difficult time under the pandemic, many of us are dreaming of going on vacation to somewhere exotic that does not resemble our shrinking world view and what we see on TV or through our daily zoom meetings. As a travel and tourism operator, worried about tourism recovery, I can only hope that what I have to offer in photography philanthropy, will be enticing to others, when we can freely travel once again.

*Note: Some of these links are affiliate links, meaning that if you book through my link, A Wandering Web will make a small commission (at no extra cost to you).

Triple F Photo Tours

I operate a photo-tour company, called Triple F Photo Tours, that caters to amateur and enthusiast photographers, wishing to improve their photography skills, while on an excursion.  On our 18-day tour of Uganda, we engage in many unique sites and experiences that no other tour company can offer.

For instance, you will meet the mighty gorillas, while trekking them in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Depending on our itinerary, which changes annually, you will also get to hike in the Rwenzori mountains to the snow-capped Margherita Peak, while keeping your eyes out for the three-horned chameleon; you will see wildlife, such as the African Elephants, Water Buffalos and Hippos, grazing on the shores of the Kazinga Channel and Murchison Falls; you will climb down into open caves and cool your feet in the cooling waterfalls after hiking through the forest, while monkeys swing and call out to you in the forest canopy. You will also get to meet the locals, and experience the culture while walking in the markets, getting a drum and dance lesson, or meeting the various artists that call Uganda home.

Unlike other tours to Uganda, you will experience two safaris, which include Lake Mburo National Park, the only walkable safari park in all of Africa. You will revel in seeing lions, leopards, elephants, giraffe, zebra, the Ugandan Kob, over 1,000 bird species, various monkeys, and lots more. Uganda is truly the Pearl of Africa when it comes to wildlife viewing.

Photography Tours

On my first safari to Lake Mburo National Park, I was thrilled to get out of the car and stretch my legs, while walking among the Grevy Zebra and slowly walking through the tall grasses towards the Rothschild Giraffe, grazing on the Acacia leaves on the tall trees.  As the sun was starting to go down, the sunsets along the savannah were mind-blowing and we got a view of a zebra and her foal feeding, as the sun glistened on their hair.  It’s everything my photography heart wanted and more.

On our last photography tour, one of our visitors Kim, from British Columbia, had dreamt of going to Africa since she was five years old.  As a gift to herself for her 60^th birthday, she decided to come with us, not only to experience everything Uganda has to offer, but to also be amongst other photography enthusiasts, hoping to improve their photography while on an excursion.  Kim knew how to take photos, but she struggled with the manual settings of her camera.  She not only learned how to compose her photos in a better light, but she can now comfortably move from auto to manual exposure without thinking about it.

Cameras For Girls

Other than helping other photography enthusiasts improve their photography what sets us apart from other tours, is our philanthropic side, Cameras For Girls. Triple F Photo Tours was started as a venture to give back to my home country of Uganda.  Our family came to Canada in 1972, after being thrown out with thousands of other Asians by then-president Idi Amin.  Settling in Canada, I realized early on how fortunate we were, compared to the people we left behind.

Return to Uganda

Going on my first trip back to Uganda in 2007, was an eye-opening experience.  Growing up in wealthy Canada, I was not prepared for the level of poverty I experienced in Uganda.  It hurt me to the deepest level of my being, and I vowed I would do something to help these people – my people!

Photography Philanthropy

Knowing I wanted to do something and doing it are two different things and it took me ten years before I was able to start Triple F Photo Tours and a subsequent year before starting Cameras For Girls.

See our CTV National News feature to learn more about our journey.

In a very short amount of time, we have had some great successes.  For instance, we helped Joanita secure a paid position.  When she took the training, she had a job, however, she was not getting paid, because she did not own a camera, nor had she ever used one.  Unlike North America, you are not provided with the tools to do your job in Uganda.  Coming out of university does not guarantee you a paid position. Not only must you have journalism prowess, but you must own a camera, know how to use and be able to take your photos to accompany your articles.  Two months after taking the training and with lots of practice, Joanita was finally put on payroll and now gets published and paid a minimum of four times a week. Not only does she support herself, but she supports her family and community as well.

Sharon was in our first training and has not only secured herself a paid job in journalism but is working hard to start an organization to help other girls get their stories published. 

Stories like this make our work worthwhile and keep us pushing forward.

The Impact of COVID on Photography Philanthropy

Under normal times, we would bring seven travellers with us on our photo tour, however, COVID impacted not only our tourism side but also our Cameras For Girls program. We had to cancel our tours and moved our training program completely online, which is difficult under normal circumstances but when you combine time differences, lack of available internet connection and challenges of many of the girls returning to their villages for safety, it became a proverbial nightmare. However, we persevered. 

To date, we have taught 32 girls and 11 now have full-time jobs. We invested not only in the girls learning photography but also in teaching them viable job skills, such as resume and cover letter writing and the building of a professional profile on LinkedIn. Furthermore, I started and am building a video library of various aspects of photography, so the girls can learn at their own pace, amidst their responsibilities at home and work.

Our normal programming for Cameras For Girls would include a 3-day intensive in-country, followed by 2-days working in the field with a local Ugandan-based NGO (non-governmental organization). The fieldwork provides the NGO with much-needed imagery and the girls the opportunity to build a portfolio of images with written articles, they can show at job interviews. Further to this, I continue to teach online for an entire year through video tutorials, bi-weekly zoom training, and monthly assignments, coupled with discussions through our private Facebook and WhatsApp groups.

Following the intensive year-long training, I then work with the girls to help them get jobs, with the aforementioned job-skills training.

The Next Steps for Photography Philanthropy

At the time of writing this article, there is no news about when we might get the COVID vaccine. I am busy behind the scenes planning our next tour and training, which can hopefully happen in August 2021.

For now, like you, I will keep dreaming and planning my next photo-tour to Uganda and invite you to come along and meet the beautiful people I always fall in love with, again and again, every time I visit home.

unakaribishwa kutembelea Uganda (You are welcome to visit Uganda)

Learn more about Amina Mohamed and Photography Philanthropy

Amina is currently planning for their next photo-tour to Uganda later this year.  If you are interested in her free zoom information sessions, contact her at booking@triplefphototours.ca.  Bookings for her tour, can be reserved with no deposit right now so get your name on the list if you want to experience a bucket-list tour of Uganda.

Amina is a one-person led Non-Profit, and is always seeking donations to her Go Fund Me Campaign or new and used cameras.  You can donate here or contact Amina at amina@camerasforgirls.org.

To learn more, visit Triple F Photo Tours and Cameras For Girls

Watch Charlotte and Amina’s interview on A Case for Travel Tuesdays.

Amina Mohamed Bio