Founded in 2000 by Deirdre Portnoy, a photographer, art teacher, and volunteer educator for over 25 years, the PhotoStory Project has become her passion.

With old cameras, donated by her town library, film given by friends at a potluck gathering, and coupons from a technical support employee, Deirdre joined an artist friend working in Haiti to try a pilot project.

The response from the warm, loving and culturally rich Haitian children was wonderful. "Seeing the children engaged in their own storytelling, cooperating with each other and sharing the photo stories in their community encouraged me to facilitate other projects."

Since 2000, Ms. Portnoy has worked with women and children from rural villages and inner-city schools in India, students of a community-learning center in Haiti, Tibetan refugee children with special needs, orphaned children in the Georgian Republic, elementary through high school students in Massachusetts, US, adolescents from the poorer districts of Lima, Peru, a Maya Chorti community in Honduras, Chuj students from a Guatemalan community school, young children living on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, and subsistence farmers in Malawi.

In collaboration with community groups, teachers and non-profit organizations, Ms. Portnoy has directed and taught the PhotoStory process in school workshops, after school programs, orphanages, libraries and museums.

Grants, in-kind donations and corporate and individual sponsors have supported the various PhotoStory programs.

Read about related PhotoWorkshops by Ms. Portnoy: