As part of our column ‘Women by Women: A Shared Vision,’ which expands on the theme of our Global Open Call, we spoke with Lydia Kibandi, CEO of Lensational. This non-profit enterprise elevates women’s voices through photography. Kibandi discussed the power of art to create change and how photography can broaden cultural horizons for girls and women. Lensational empowers underrepresented individuals by enabling them to tell their own stories through their own lens, unfiltered. Kibandi shared her belief in changing the industry from within, the strength of connection, and upcoming initiatives for the next year.
Clementine Murekeyisoni, a survivor of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, visits the Nyamata memorial site in Bugesera District, Rwanda, where she believes some of her relatives may have been killed. May 9, 2024. © Ange Umutoni / Lensational
This image is from “Remembering the Genocide against the Tutsi with Clementine Murekeyisoni, a survivor,” a project by Ange Umutoni. She is a Rwandan photographer and a recent recipient of the EmpowerHerLens Collective Fund, a Lensational initiative that supports emerging female photojournalists and documentary photographers with financial and technical resources to develop photo projects and secure paid assignments.
Ange Umutoni / Lensational
How did your project come to life? What inspired its inception?
Lensational was founded by Bonnie Chiu, who has always believed in the power of art to create change. The idea took shape when she visited Turkey and, despite a language barrier, connected with local girls who were curious about her camera. She realized then how photography could cross boundaries and give women a voice.
Bonnie was also inspired by her grandmother, an Indonesian refugee who never learned to read or write but expressed herself by photographing the orchids she loved. Seeing this, Bonnie understood that photography could empower women to tell their own stories. This insight became the foundation of Lensational, which officially launched on International Women’s Day in 2013.
Lensational’s founder, Bonnie Chiu, conducts a pilot photography workshop with girls from Lahore, Pakistan. © Jonas Gottschalk / Lensational
What does it mean to you to create space for underrepresented women within the creative industry?
For us, it’s about ensuring that women who have been historically overlooked or marginalized can tell their own stories and represent themselves authentically. We put the tools and skills for photographic storytelling into the hands of those whose experiences have too often been seen through other people’s lenses—both literally in photography and figuratively in how their lives are portrayed. Ultimately, it’s about disrupting the industry and shifting the narrative so these women are not just subjects, but active storytellers of their own lives.
‘Perfect Frame’, Indonesia, 2014
Anik Kumalasari, from Malang, East Java, has worked in Hong Kong as a domestic helper since 2003. Inspired by her love of hiking, she developed a passion for photography and hopes to showcase Indonesia’s natural beauty to the world. © Anik Kumalasari / Lensational
How does the photography training that you offer work?
We begin by identifying the women who will participate in our programs, partnering with local organizations that already work with the communities—especially the girls and women—we aim to reach.
These programs often focus on a specific issue affecting these women, such as climate change. Our funders and partners, who provide financial support, also help shape the program’s focus. Often, these are think tanks or organizations conducting research in these areas. They help identify gaps where our training can have the most impact in informing the public and, most importantly, policymakers.
Next, we work with those partners to select the trainers.and trainees. While our trainers are often local photojournalists, being a photojournalist alone does not qualify someone to be a trainer. We have developed a specific approach to teaching photography over the years, and we take time to familiarize selected trainers with this method so they can effectively guide participants through the program.
Over four to six months, trainers use this approach to teach photography, storytelling, and concepts related to a specific theme or issue. The training is designed so that participants develop their skills while applying them to create their own photo projects on that issue. At the end, these projects are used to engage policymakers or support advocacy, giving the women a platform to share their experiences directly.
Francis Kokoroko, an Envisioning Resilience trainer in Ghana, working with trainees Dorcas Raban, Jennifer Atenyo, and Belinda Alhassan during the pilot phase in Ghana, 2021.
© Dennis Nipah / Envisioning Resilience
Could you tell us more about the Empower Her Lens Fund?
The Empower Her Lens Fund is an initiative we launched to mobilize financial resources from individuals and organizations to support emerging photographers who have participated in our programs. As the name suggests, it’s about “empowering their lens”—providing resources to build on the skills they gained through our training so they can continue to grow. The fund offers financial backing to cover the costs of pursuing their own personal photo projects.
The fund serves multiple purposes: it allows participants to continue developing their photography and storytelling skills, create income opportunities, and keep highlighting the issues they explored in their initial projects. For example, if a participant documented a drought in 2022 and new solutions or responses have since emerged, the fund gives her the opportunity to pitch a follow-up project to amplify those stories. In addition to covering costs, the fund also provides technical support from our team to help these photographers successfully bring their projects to life.
The initiative also aims to rethink traditional philanthropy, which is often seen as the domain of the very wealthy. Here, individuals can contribute in ways that are meaningful to them—even smaller amounts, like $250 or $500, can make a real difference. That could be enough to commission a photographer for a small assignment or support a larger project, depending on the contribution. Donors can also receive recognition through a byline and access to the images produced, giving them a tangible connection to the work they’ve supported.
So far, we have seen individuals and small businesses contribute a percentage of their income to the fund. This support has enabled our photographers to take on assignments exploring important issues—such as culture, and the connection between climate and community resilience. See more here.
Gabriel Santiago, a young Warrau child, gazes over the wide Demerara River in Great Diamond, Guyana, from his family’s open-concept riverside space. The Santiago family is one of many Warrau households that resettled in Guyana after migrating from Venezuela, a decades-long movement shaped by border conflict and discrimination. 9 February 2025
From “Caught in the crossfire of territorial disputes: stories of survival of Guyana’s borderless Warrau people” by Tara Leuvina Smith, a recent graduate from Lensational’s New Perspectives Advanced training program, an initiative designed to uplift and enhance the skills of emerging women documentary photographers.
© Tara Leuvina Smith/ Lensational.
Have there been any unexpected or surprising outcomes from your work that continue to resonate with you?
One of the most surprising outcomes of our work has been how the stories women shared through our programs revealed consistent insights around specific issues, even when we weren’t intentionally focusing on them. For a long time, our training programs were designed primarily to give underrepresented women theWe started by giving women tools to tell their own stories and express themselves, without a strong focus on policy. Over time, however, certain themes—especially climate change—began to emerge again and again. We realized that the insights coming directly from women could do more than just share a story; they could inform action and influence change. This led us to consider how to create platforms where these stories could reach policymakers, so the issues women raised wouldn’t just be recorded, but could actually help shape solutions.
It has been especially rewarding to see this approach align with the work of other organizations and think tanks that are also exploring ways to connect communities with policymakers. This confirmed that the direction we were taking was meaningful and necessary—and its importance has only grown.
A concrete example is our initiative with the NAP Global Network, Envisioning Resilience. This photography project equips women from communities hardest hit by climate change with cameras and storytelling skills to show what resilience truly looks like from their perspective. Their stories then create a platform for dialogue with policymakers, ensuring women’s lived experiences inform climate adaptation strategies.
In Gakenke District, Northern Rwanda, crops now grow over the remains of the house Generosa Hategekimana lost to a landslide in 2023. Weeks later, the farmer and grandmother searched through the ruins as her family worked to rebuild their lives from the ground up.
— From “A family’s journey back to life as it once was before landslide” by Clementine Twizerimana, a Rwandan photographer and trainee with Envisioning Resilience Rwanda, an initiative founded by the NAP Global Network and Lensational in 2021 to amplify women’s voices in climate adaptation planning.
Looking ahead to 2026, we plan to deepen our existing work and focus on a few key areas.
One is strengthening the platforms that help women’s stories drive real change. We’re piloting ways to support policymakers in connecting these narratives directly to ongoing policy processes, so stories can tangibly inform decisions.
Another priority is bringing our training programs into schools, especially for girls at risk of not finishing their education. If their schooling is disrupted, the skills they gain with us can open doors to income-generating opportunities, storytelling, and community engagement.
Since everything we do at PhotoVogue is rooted in empowerment and collaboration with like-minded partners, I’d like to spotlight two women-focused organizations: GirlsCARE in Jamaica and SASAL in Kenya.
Both are deeply grounded in the lives of the women and girls they serve. Without trusted partners like them, it would be much harder to reach communities and do this work. GirlsCARE mentors young women across the Caribbean to become climate-justice advocates, while SASAL works with pastoralist communities in Kenya, placing women at the center of climate resilience and sustainable livelihood programs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about Women by Women A Shared Vision through Lensational designed to sound like questions from a real person
Beginner General Questions
1 What is Women by Women A Shared Vision in simple terms
Its a global photography project and exhibition run by Lensational It showcases the world exclusively through the eyes of women and nonbinary photographers from over 50 countries highlighting their unique perspectives on community identity and daily life
2 What is Lensational
Lensational is a nonprofit social enterprise that equips underrepresented women and nonbinary individuals in Asia Africa and the Middle East with photography and storytelling skills They use visual storytelling as a tool for empowerment income generation and advocacy
3 Who can participate in this project
The project specifically features the work of women and nonbinary photographers who are part of the Lensational network and its partner organizations around the world Its not an open public submission but focuses on amplifying the voices of those they train and mentor
4 Where can I see the exhibition
The exhibition has been displayed in physical galleries and is primarily hosted online as a digital exhibition You can view the powerful collection on Lensationals official website and social media channels
5 Is this project just about art
No its much more than art While the photographs are artistic the core mission is about visual equityensuring all genders have the power to represent their own narratives Its about empowerment challenging stereotypes and creating economic opportunities
Deeper Questions About Impact Goals
6 Whats the main goal of this project
The main goal is to shift the narrative By putting cameras in the hands of women and nonbinary people the project aims to diversify the visual landscape of media and art combat biased representation and prove that their perspectives are vital professional and valuable
7 How does photography actually empower these women
It works in several ways It builds technical and creative confidence provides a platform for selfexpression on their own terms can lead to income through selling photos or freelance work and fosters a sense of agency as they document and advocate for their communities