OSI Documentary Photography Project Announces 2009 Production Grant Winners

The OSI Documentary Photography Project has announced the winners of the 2009 Production Grant to Photographers from Central Asia, the Caucasus, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, which supports photographers to document a social justice or human rights issue in their home country or region.  The project, cosponsored with the Arts and Culture Network Program, also provides master-level training and professional mentorship. 

2009 Production Grantees

All grants are $3500 plus master-level training and mentorship.

• Mery Agakhanyan: The social and economic situation of life in several villages in Armenia
• Barat Ali Batoor: The trafficking of young boys in Afghanistan
• Hayk Bianjyan: The violation of property rights in Yerevan, Armenia
• Rena Effendi: The state of the environment in the Absheron Peninsula in Azerbaijan
• Valeriy Kaliyev: The violation of rights of migrant workers in Kazakhstan
• Justyna Mielnikiewicz: Old roles and new realities for young women in Georgia
• Karen Mirzoyan: The increased rate of suicide among young people in Armenia
• Akhtar Soomro: The Afro-Pakistani Sheedi community of Lyari, Karachi in southern Pakistan
• Farzana Wahidy: The positive and negative aspects of daily life for women in Afghanistan