In Edge of Hope, Anthony Dawton and Jim McFarlane's photographs document the Rohingya people living in the refugee camp at Cox's Bazar in Kutupalong, Bangladesh.
Almost one million refugees live in this camp, having fled genocide committed by the Myanmarese government and military, and militias. The Rohingyan refugees live in fragile shelters through both sweltering heat and cyclone and monsoon season. They have poor nutrition and limited access to clean water and basic healthcare, and the cramped conditions encourage the spread of disease, including vaccine-preventable and water-borne diseases. Over half of the refugees are children.
Dawton and McFarlane are not subject to the time restraints that photojournalists are, so they can build relationships with their subjects. As a result, their photographs show humanity and dignity, despite the tragic circumstances. The Amal Foundation continues to work in the camp and Edge of Hope is published to raise funds and awareness for the foundation.
Anthony Dawton is an award-winning photographer who makes a living through commercial photography but wins his awards working for leading NGOs in some of the world's most difficult places. He is not a photojournalist. He talks more than he shoots, to avoid traumatising people and he finds the talking helps open spaces to allow stories to be told and feelings to be expressed. It is a process that brings about Dawton's remarkable pictures.
Jim McFarlane graduated from Prahran CAE in 1981 and began his commercial photography career. His client mix allowed him a vast range of subject matter, from ballet to food and people. Jim's passion for documentary, instilled in him during his studies, has never left him. Assignments for Save the Children and UNICEF have taken him to exotic places and he has exhibited in more than eight countries. McFarlane and Dawton have raised nearly $500,000 with the Amal Foundation, which has built 10 wells in Niger, giving fresh water to 10,000 people and as well as providing psychological therapy to war traumatized children in Gaza.
