Malaria victims in Asia are usually poor, isolated and voiceless. It’s as if these people don’t truly exist.
However, the situation there is steadily improving, with the help of Singaporean photographer Pearl Gan.
As part of her effort to raise awareness and educate people about the dangers of malaria, Pearl has teamed up with professor J. Kevin Baird of the Eijkman Oxford Clinical Research Unit (EOCRU) in Jakarta, Indonesia, to hold a photo exhibition entitled “Asia Malaria Images”.
The exhibition, which includes exclusive photographs by Pearl, will run from 2–29 September 2017 at the National Library Board, Singapore.
First proposed in September 2015, the exhibition is supported by partners such as the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, The Wellcome Trust and the Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance.
Through the exhibition, Baird and Pearl hope to put a human face on the disease, so that a deeper connection and impact can be felt within the community. Their goal is to eventually stamp out malaria in the region.
“It’s not all about people suffering. It’s also about people living in the malaria endemic zones,” Pearl explained. “It’s also about the medical people helping to relieve their pain; the community, their environment.”
