A set of 100 large-format photobooks from the Isle Landers project were today donated to the Educational Services to be distributed to public schools in Malta and Gozo.

Isle Landers is a photographic project launched by award-winning photojournalist Darrin Zammit Lupi, documenting the lives of asylum seekers and migrants through and after their journey across the Mediterranean Sea. His work has been featured extensively in national and international media.

"Ever since I was first exposed to their suffering and the thinly veiled inhumanity in the reaction of many first world nations, I have tried to go beyond the news with my pictures, trying to show something different that captures the depth of suffering and embodies the vital importance of the overall story in human terms and replaces cold statistics with faces of fellow human beings.  Having this book easily accessible in the collections of public schools is important for that reason. " - Darrin Zammit Lupi

The Isle Landers project commenced in February 2014 with the launch of an online photo collection leading the way to a photographic exhibition at St James Cavalier in December 2014 and the publication of the collection in the form of a high quality photobook. The exhibition will in the coming months be on display outside of Malta - including as far away as Australia. 

The donation of the books is done in the context of World Refugee Day - which commemorates the more than 50 million people around the world who are forced to flee their homes due to war, persecution or human rights abuses.

"UNHCR is honoured to support the Isle landers project as it captures what is essential to understand the refugee reality. The book portrays human desperation and suffering, but it also communicates the dignity, strength and resilience that are common to refugees around the world." - Jon Hoisaeter, UNHCR Representative to Malta.

The project is supported by the Malta Arts Fund and UNHCR among others. More info on the project can be obtained from www.islelanders.com