Patricia Willocq Wins the Prestigious Alfred Fried Peace Photo of the Year Photography Award 2015

VIENNA, September 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Belgian photographer, Patricia Willocq, has won the Alfred Fried Peace Photo of the Year Photography Award 2015 for her project 'Look at me, I am beautiful.' This marks the culmination of a substantial body of work by Patricia in the Democratic Republic of Congo, during which time she has been supported by The Gertler Family Foundation (GFF).  

The award was presented in Vienna, attended by Doris Bures and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, amongst others. The Alfred Fried Photography Awards are named after the Austrian pacifist and author Alfred Fried who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1911.

'Look at me, I am beautiful' is the title of the photo series. The photos depict themes of exploitation, poverty and violence; they aim to tell a story and increase awareness about sexual violence in Africa.

The GFF has been actively involved in helping combat sexual violence. The charity took part in the international summit in London on sexual violence in war zones in 2013 along with four female Congolese MPs and HOLD-DRC, a Congolese NGO which the GFF funded in the same year. The GFF also supported HOLD-DRC in its training of 120 female rape survivors in Goma. The GFF also funded the production of educational material for the DRC military and supported girls in Goma who were victims of sexual violence in 2012.

Dan Gertler, Co-Founder of GFF, said:  "We are delighted that Patricia has won this esteemed award and it is a reflection of her hard work and dedication. We are honoured to support this cause for several years now and to help change attitudes towards vulnerable members of society, helping to improve these women's lives."

The GFF's collaboration with Patricia Willocq started with Project Blanc Ebene, which endeavoured to alter the public's perception of the Albino population.  Willocq's innovative book White Ebony / Blanc Ebène was launched in June and funded by the GFF. The book showcases photography of people afflicted with Albinism in Africa and particularly in the DRC‬, with the aim of improving public awareness.

As part of a long-term commitment by the GFF to the people of the DRC, earlier this month it granted full scholarships for 20 albino children to pay for their annual school fees and school supplies. Furthermore, in 2014 the GFF sponsored Project Blanc Ebene, partnering with the prominent Mwimba Texas Foundation and helped bring greater awareness about social and medical services to Congolese albinos. Later that year, one hundred Congolese albino children received free photochromic eyeglasses from Hôpital du Cinquantenaire de Kisangani - to improve the children's sight, and their reading and writing.

Notes to editors:

Patricia Willocq is a freelance photographer born in the Congo. Amongst the assignments around the world, she dedicates time to support the work of associations and NGOs fighting in the field of human rights. White Ebony won an honourable mention at the UNICEF Photo of the Year Award 2013 and has been exhibited by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Mr. Dan Gertler is a co-founder of the GFF. An initiative of the Gertler Family Trust, the GFF is committed to helping meet the needs of vulnerable Congolese. Since its inception in 2004, the GFF has invested millions of dollars in health, education, agriculture, emergency relief, infrastructure, culture and other projects across the DRC.

Visit http://www.gertlerfamilyfoundation.org to learn more about the GFF. Join us on Facebook: Gertler Family Foundation, and follow us on Twitter @gffdrc.

To learn more about the 'White Ebony' project, please visit: http://white-ebony.com/