Photographer Gustavo Fernandez and his 2003 Harley Davidson FatBoy are riding across 5,000 miles of the United States with a program he created called The HOG for Kids Project. Fernandez designed The HOG for Kids Project to raise awareness and collect donations for the children of the Dominican Republic.
Through a partnership with Children International, Fernandez is taking his office on the road. This is the second year of his annual project. This summer he is photographing families all over the country on his journey from California to New York for the price of $100 to cover ride costs and bills. In addition to the base amount, he asks the families for a $264 one-year commitment to sponsor a child in his homeland, the Dominican Republic.
The money collected will go through Children International to where the greatest needs are in the Dominican Republic, or according to Fernandez, “just having the resources to get kids educated, access to textbooks, and qualified teachers.” In a country where 42 percent of the population is below the poverty line, his work goes a long way.
The second part of Gustavo’s journey will be a tour of the Dominican Republic to document the needs of the country’s children and the effects of Children’s International efforts there. Children’s International is a nonprofit, humanitarian organization that channels resources for the lasting change of sponsorship to children in impoverished regions all around the world.
A professional photographer based in San Francisco, Fernandez has built his life around volunteering and promoting social action. When I spoke with him he had just returned from the Annual Youth Assemblys at the United Nations in Washington DC. He says that his goal for the program is sponsors for 50 children, and he is halfway there already.
The HOG for Kids Project
Children International
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