The STRIVE Project teaches the children to express themselves through documentary photography and video with the assistance of founder and director of Localfilms, Peter Jordan.

The 15-minute film documents a child-headed household of 4, the Diza family. Jordan spent 3 weeks living with the Diza children at their home in a southern Zimbabwe village. He filmed the children as they cooked, farmed and played together.

Jordan taught the 4 children, aged 8 to 15, how to use low-cost video cameras. The children filmed scenes of their friends coming home from school, siblings dancing, and washing up after a meal. The narration on the documentary is done by the children.

Children, HIV/AIDS.

"The Children They Are Left With" has been screened in the Diza family’s village and at the 2004 National Zimbabwe Conference on Aids 2004, the 2005 Golden Lion Films Festival in Swaziland, and the 2005 Zimbabwean International Film Festival (ZIFF). It was also screened at a Southern Africa HIV/AIDS information and Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS) discussion forum. SAfAIDS used the film to train journalists on the ethical reporting of issues related to orphans and other vulnerable children.

The film aims to inspire thoughtful discussion about a range of topics, including topics aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), such as achieving gender equality, combating HIV/AIDS, and improving access to education. The film is available for viewing on the Localfilms website. Based in the United States, Localfilms is a grassroots production company that partners with international humanitarian organisations to empower communities through film.