A Child from Everywhere

Photographer Caroline Irby has interviewed and photographed children from 185 countries who have migrated to the UK. Of the hundreds of thousands of migrants to the UK each year, 26,000 of them are children. Irby set out to interview one child from each of the 192 countries in the world (according to the UN); 185 children agreed to take part in the project. The result is both a look at the countries represented and the multicultural layered image of the UK. The photographs of the children aged eight to 15 years old are accompanied by interviews from the children themselves, where they are given the opportunity to give their side of the story. The children discuss their expectations of the UK, feelings upon arrival, cultural differences, ideas on community and thoughts on the future, along with details on their everyday life, school, family, friends, employment, food and lifestyle. Often the children have had difficult upbringings and have been forced out of their countries due to war, poverty or disease. For them the UK represents a new start and a wealth of opportunities. These interviews, though harrowing at times, are ultimately a positive commentary on the hope and optimism of children. The mix of international children reflects the world's wars, natural disasters and despots painting a vivid image of the world today. Irby interviewed and photographed a Mongolian girl from a nomadic tribe who grew up in a yurt, herding sheep and who now lives in a council house in Leicester; Johnette from Liberia, who fled the war with the father she had never met and now lives in a quiet cul-de-sac in Northampton, and who longs to return to the exuberance of her native country; and Emmanuel from Sudan, now living in Bolton, and still getting used to the sight of people kissing in the street. The result is a visually and emotionally engaging portrayal that allows the children to speak for themselves providing a unique insight into the effects of globalization.

Caroline Irby is a British documentary and portrait photographer/writer who has worked extensively in Africa and Asia. She has a reputation of telling her story through children. Irby has previously written articles published in The Independent, The Guardian and The Times.