"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul." - William Ernest Henley

I sometimes wish I could make the kids at Amasango believe in the quote above.

A reporter from Grocott's Mail, the local Grahamstown paper, came to interview the kids about the photo project yesterday.

She and I sat down with the kids and they spoke about what the project meant to them, what it taught them and why they took the photographs they did.

One boy, a 17-year-old in grade 7 was asked why he took a photograph of himself. He looked at the reporter and said "It's for my father."

We both smiled. It was a nice response from a guy who's taken some really nice photos. Of course, the next question was "why do you want this photograph for your father?"

Without much hesitation, the boy replied, "Because when I go to jail, I want him to be able to remember me. He has no pictures of me." There was a pause for a couple seconds; the reporter and I both a little stunned about what we should say or ask next. He put his head down for a moment before looking up again and saying "I need this photo for my father so when I go to jail he doesn't forget me."

He's talked to me a bit about his life in the past. His father is an alcoholic. His brother is in jail. His mother was murdered. He believes his future will be a one way ticket to prison. After all, that's just how life operates for kids like him, isn't it? You're born, you struggle, you steal, you go to prison, you die.