Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 341

"It’s always been my dream to have a successful business....

"It’s always been my dream to have a successful business. I’d like one day to open more stores, and maybe even expand into the provinces. But the conditions are very difficult to start a business. Taxes are very high and services are very limited. The electricity was out for eleven days last month, but I still had to pay for thirty days. And when I try to use a generator, the costs are so high that the customers stop coming. It’s very difficult."

(Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo)

"I’m embarrassed to say this, but I’ll say it....

"I’m embarrassed to say this, but I’ll say it. I’ve had a really hard time finding work, so I’ve been living with my grandmother. And she’s told me recently that she doesn’t have the money to feed me. So I’ve been eating at my friend’s house. I go over there, and I’m too embarrassed to ask for anything, but his dad always insists. He says: ‘Why aren’t you eating? Please, eat!’ This has really caused my idea of ‘family’ to widen. I’ve learned that your family can be anyone."

(Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo)

"It’s very difficult to get a job on the basis of your...

"It’s very difficult to get a job on the basis of your education. All the people who have jobs to give, give it to their family. Not only does it benefit their family members, but it benefits them as well, because now they have less dependents."

(Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo)

"I want to discover the cure for Ebola."(Kinshasa, Democratic...

"I want to discover the cure for Ebola."

(Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo)

"There is a stigma in this country around women with jobs. So I...

"There is a stigma in this country around women with jobs. So I want to start an organization that provides girls in the Congo with examples of women around the world who have balanced family and career. Most men in this country think it’s only about money. They think: ‘If I make enough money for us to live, then my wife should take care of the children.’ The common belief is that a woman who works is hurting her children. People don’t realize that children also gain from the knowledge and experiences of their mother."
(Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo)

"What’s the score?""2 - 0""Who scored the goals?""I scored...

"What’s the score?"
"2 - 0"
"Who scored the goals?"
"I scored them both."
(Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo)

"The youngest one is the most courageous. If somebody is picking...

"The youngest one is the most courageous. If somebody is picking on her sister in Sunday school, she’ll go after them!" 
(Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo)

"I’m studying law. My dream is to be a judge one day. Too...

"I’m studying law. My dream is to be a judge one day. Too many people in this country are only in prison because they were too poor to defend themselves. When I’m a judge, I’ll look only at the facts, and not at the person."

(Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo)

Humans of New York Goes Global

Humans of New York Goes Global: With all the amazing opportunities that have come along over the...

"We don’t like pictures like this. It is not good to...

"We don’t like pictures like this. It is not good to deduce an entire country to the image of a person reaching out for food. It is not good for people to see us like this, and it is not good for us to see ourselves like this. This gives us no dignity. We don’t want to be shown as a country of people waiting for someone to bring us food. Congo has an incredible amount of farmland. An incredible amount of resources. Yes, we have a lot of problems. But food is not what we are reaching for. We need investment. We need the means to develop ourselves." 

(Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo)