I visited almost thirty countries before putting together Kids Across the World. Sometimes I traveled specifically to take pictures for this project – other times, I photographed children while on other assignments (I met Charleen while working on a big project about Aboriginal people in Australia). But each trip always begins the same way: I carefully select my equipment - lenses, lights, film and batteries – and then I take two of everything. I pack mosquito repellant, a first-aid kit and even a box of instant oatmeal (I can’t work without breakfast). And every trip involves complex travel arrangements – longboats for the rivers of Borneo, porters for the Himalayas and reservations for seats on tiny planes that are often cancelled for days at a time. And no matter how carefully I plan each trip, something unexpected happens: one time, on a cattle station in Australia, bush fires forced my jeep to the edge of a nearby creek – which was filled with crocodiles. And then there was that landslide in China….and the typhoon in Hong Kong. And let’s not even mention the 12 foot water cobra in Borneo. Every trip has been different, but each has been an adventure.......

Central America After filming street children in Guatemala for the non-profit organization Childhope, I decided to explore the lives of children in other Central American countries. In Nicaragua, I traveled on public buses, until a mechanical breakdown forced me to hitch-hike in 103 degree heat. After that, I contacted social workers, who took me to mother-baby clinics, day-care centers and schools. Because I speak Spanish, I was able to talk to people without a translator – and even ended up producing a radio program for the BBC World Service.

Morocco I had always wanted to photograph nomads like the Berbers, who roam the deserts and mountains in Morocco. Luckily, I was in Marrakech, working on a TV documentary, when thousands of Berbers arrived for the National Festival of Popular Arts. After several hours of photographing the young acrobats, one of the tribesmen shyly motioned for me to give him the camera. This was the picture he took.

Cambodia I was lucky to be invited to the Sunrise Children’s Village, in Cambodia. For three days I took pictures of the kids playing, eating, doing chores – all the ordinary things that take place in every family – even one with over 50 kids! But before I began taking pictures, I talked with the kids and let them hold my cameras. The orphans loved looking at each other through the camera lense – especially 4 year-old Srey Mao . You can barely see her head behind my Nikon!

Nepal Electricity is something I’ll never take for granted again! In Nepal, I had to connect my video battery to a solar panel during the day – and tuck it into my sleeping bag at night, since cold drains away the power. But it was well worth the effort - I ended up making several videos, including one about a doctor for the Britain-Nepal Medical Trust. We were in an area with no roads or cars – and I filmed him walking from one Himalayan village to the next. I met quite a few children who had to walk two hours just to get to school.