Helena Christensen climate change exhibition

Helena Christensen travelled to her mother's native land of Peru with Oxfam to witness and photograph how climate change is affecting people's lives.
Photo: Jason Mcdonald

María Chillihuami with her children Genaro, 5, and Reyna, 6, from the Pacchanta community.
Extract from Helena’s diary: "I start photographing all these cool little kids. Their cheeks are burned from constant exposure to the sun. Their clothes consist of layer upon layer of vividly coloured sweaters and skirts. They run around, shrieking with laughter chasing each other, whispering together."
Image: Helena Christensen

A child looks out over the Ausangate Valley. The Ausangate is just one of Peru’s tropical glaciers. They have collectively shrunk by 22% over the past 30 years, losing the equivalent of 7,000 million cubic metres of water – 10 years consumption for a city the size of Lima.
Image: Helena Christensen

Alpacas in the Ausangate Valley. One impact of climate change is that people are no longer able to rely on their traditional sources of income – agriculture and livestock. Oxfam is helping communities earn money in new ways, such as selling handicrafts.
Image: Helena Christensen

Anta Reforestation Project - Oxfam is supporting the growth of 2 million saplings with the community.
Image: Helena Christensen

Children from Pacchanta. These children, along with millions of others, face an uncertain future unless bold political decisions are taken at the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen. December 2009 will be one of the most important moments in human history.
Image: Helena Christensen

Two girls of the Pacchanta community standing in front of their village.
Image: Helena Christensen

Jesus Garknya at the Anta reforestation project, supported by Oxfam. Oxfam is supporting local communities in replanting two million willow saplings. The trees will help to bind the dry soil and prevent further erosion.
Image: Helena Christensen

Mrs Maria Merma Gonzalo working on traditional handicrafts. Community leaders who have lived here all their lives are aware that the grave situation is a consequence of climate change. They know people can no longer rely on traditional occupations.
Oxfam is helping people to diversify. Where they used to raise alpacas and grow vegetables, they now also make handicrafts and train to improve their techniques and skills. The hot pools have become another tourist attraction.
Image: Helena Christensen

Pedro Crispin carrying firewood, Pacchanta community.
Extract from Helena’s diary: "We visit two areas where the community has been working to stop the soil from slipping down the hill. It seems almost insignificant looking around this devastated land. But no matter how impossible a project might seem, or maybe exactly for that reason, it is important to believe that every little effort will make a big difference in the end. There is a Danish saying: 'Every tiny stream put together creates one big river'."
Image: Helena Christensen

Yovana Champi with her dog.
Poverty in rural areas of Peru is as high as 59 per cent*. And because the poorest people are the most vulnerable climate change hampers efforts to reduce and eradicate poverty.
*National Institute of Statistics INEI, 2008.
Photo: Helena Christensen

Helena is wearing a TckTckTck coalition t-shirt. Oxfam is working with the Tck Tck Tck campaign and Stop Climate Chaos coalition towards a fair, safe deal at December's UN climate change talks in Copenhagen.
The deal must be fair, ambitious and binding. Fair, to include the poorest people who have done least to cause climate change but who are suffering most. Ambitious enough to leave a planet safe for us all. And legally binding, with real targets that can be monitored and enforced. Copenhagen explained
Photo: Jason Mcdonald