Georgina Goodwin was 26 years old when she got a job as a steward on a superyacht sailing from Cape Town to Malaysia in 2004.
Before it departed, she decided to get a ‘good’ camera, a Canon Rebel film camera.
It was on that trip that the magic began to happen: to feel the need to capture moments, and to get that ‘fix’ that has now become so part of her being.
“I didn’t start photographing with the intention of becoming a photographer. I was drawn to the structures and shapes in my frame, of composing compelling images — the way they could hold emotion, truth, and story all at once. Over time, I found myself using photography to document what mattered to me: people, place, connection and justice,” Goodwin told the Star in an interview.
Her turning point came when she was photographing a Kenyan politician’s presidential campaign in 2007.
When the contested results came out and Kenya’s peaceful population resorted to conflict, Goodwin quickly realised she needed to cover the whole story and not just one man’s campaign
A week of covering protests, personal pain and loss changed her images.
She watched as her country fell apart, and pledged to cover all that she could to make sure the world would know what was happening.
She began to share her work with the international media.
“I photographed bodies shot by police, houses burnt to the ground and stranded families,” she said.
Her images were shortlisted for the Prix Bayeux War Correspondents’ Award 2008 and were part of the Kenya Burning exhibition and published book that travelled around the country showing Kenyans what happened. It helped Kenyans say, “Never Again”
“This was my first experience of the power of photography,” Goodwin said.
The realisation dawned on her that she could make a difference in the world and prompted her to look for under-reported issues and other important but little-known stories.
Over time, she witnessed how photography could not only inform but move people: how it could restore dignity, shift perspectives and inspire action.
Photography became more than just an art form, but a responsibility.
Goodwin wanted to tell stories that mattered and was particularly drawn to stories about women, social issues and the environment. She was driven by the belief that the most powerful stories often come from the margins, those places that few people ‘see’ and are aware of.
That’s when her photography turned into a calling.
“Girls in informal settlements carry immense untold strength, potential and resilience,” Goodwin said.
“What drew me in wasn’t just their vulnerability, but their courage. These are young women navigating some of the toughest circumstances, yet still dreaming, still rising, still holding their communities together,” she said.
Her work has taken her across Kenya, from Nairobi’s informal settlements such as Kibera and Mathare to Kakuma Refugee Camp in northern Kenya.
“I’ve connected with, documented and spent time with young women in these areas not just to be in front of the lens, but behind it — helping them tell their own stories through my own photography.
Through photography and storytelling workshops in partnership with Canon in places such as Nairobi’s Korogocho and Dandora slums, she has shared knowledge and helped young girls tell their own stories.
Many of these places are often little known and girls’ lives are overlooked, yet they are full of transformative energy. I see the girls there as changemakers and photography is one way to amplify their voices,” she said.
Goodwin is passionate about capturing resilience, not just the struggle. She admits that poverty, insecurity and gender-based violence are real, but there’s also so much joy, leadership, friendship, hope and resistance in these girls and young women.
“I want the world to see the complexity: a girl walking to school in muddy alleys with her books held high; a teenage mother starting a community garden; a student leading a climate protest in a slum schoolyard.
“These are not stories of pity — they’re stories of potential. When we see girls fully, not just through the lens of what they lack, we begin to understand the role they play in shaping a more just, more equal future,” she Goodwin said.
Her journey has connected her with organisations going to the heart of the issues.
“One very personal story was Monica from Huruma, a low-income settlement. She survived cancer and five years of treatments,” Goodwin said.
“I photographed her journey to recovery, and her story and images were published and used by Faraja Cancer Support Trust, where they helped to raise more funds. These photos continue to support Monica and others like her who couldn’t afford their own treatments.”
“Monica told me that seeing herself in those images, with dignity and strength, changed how she viewed her own future. It reminded her she was more than her circumstances,” Goodwin added.
The photographer points out that when photography is done ethically and with care, it can challenge stereotypes — showing girls not as victims but as visionaries, as leaders, as everyday heroes.
Her work with ActionAidUK for the #Fearless Campaign connected her to Wangu Kanja, an inspiring woman who turned her personal experience of sexual abuse into support for other women in her community. She started the Wangu Kanja Foundation, which now empowers girls and women in Nairobi’s Mukuru slum.
“I spend time in communities, listen deeply and build trust before lifting my camera. I have also run workshops with Canon that teach girls how to use cameras themselves — to tell their own stories from their own point of view. They’re storytellers in their own right,” Goodwin said.
One of her biggest challenges is navigating trust and making sure her presence doesn’t feel exploitative.
“Informal settlements carry layers of history, struggle and resilience, and people are understandably wary of outsiders coming in with cameras,” Goodwin said.
I’ve had to earn trust by showing up consistently, building relationships and making it clear that I’m not just there to “take” stories, but to stand with people in telling them, she says.
“Speaking fluent Kiswahili and being able to connect to people in their language allows me a way in that is informal and easy, being able to connect and even make jokes. It is one of the most powerful tools I use,” she said.
Other practical challenges include personal safety, limited access to spaces and navigating cultural sensitivities, especially as a woman.
“The biggest responsibility is ethical: constantly asking myself whose story this is, who benefits, and how I can avoid causing harm. Photography in these contexts must always be grounded in dignity, consent and care,” Goodwin said.
It has been a learning experience.
“These girls have taught me what it means to hold joy and pain in the same breath — to laugh while carrying the weight of the world. They’ve reminded me that storytelling isn’t just about looking — it’s about seeing and feeling. Truly seeing and connecting means witnessing not just their hardship, but also their dreams, defiance, humour and grace,” the photographer said.
The words of one of the girls still rings in her mind.
“You don’t have to be rich to have a rich story.”
Working with such girls has taught Goodwin how to slow down, listen more and hold space for complexity.
“I no longer see myself as the storyteller — I’m just a bridge. The real stories are already there, waiting to be heard. We just need to listen and create space for them to be shared, heard and understood by others.
“I hope people walk away feeling something they didn’t expect — a deeper connection, a shift in perspective, a spark of empathy. I want my photos to challenge stereotypes and expand the narrative around African girls and communities. Not just what’s hard, but what’s beautiful. Not just what’s missing, but what’s possible,” the photographer said.
Goodwin said if a photo can help someone see and feel another person’s humanity, strength or story, in a new light, then that image has done its work. And if it can also plant a seed for action, advocacy, or change, so much the better.
She advocates for change by building platforms and spaces where girls can learn storytelling skills, not just to document their lives, but to shape their futures in strength and confidence, expanding into media, advocacy, art and beyond.
“Photography will always be my tool, but the goal is bigger: to shift power, elevate voices, and help create a continent where every girl knows her story matters. I hope to keep mentoring, training and walking alongside the next generation of storytellers who will take this work even further,” she said.
Her advice to photographers is that change doesn’t always begin with loud revolutions — sometimes it begins with listening. This could be by sitting quietly beside someone and letting them be seen.
Goodwin views storytelling as a form of justice, and giving space for people to share their truths, opening the door to healing, connection and change.
“Your voice, your story, your presence in your community matters,” she said. “Whether you’re behind the camera, in front of it, or simply choosing to care, you are part of the story of transformation. And that’s powerful.”
