01
Give
Donate money, or send a camera. Film and analog cameras are very welcome.
Photo: Cacophony · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
FocalLab · Lima, Peru
Restored with Craft.
Given with Purpose.
Donations for young people in Peru. Every gift — money or a camera — becomes a working kit: a digital camera and a portable photo printer, so a young photographer can start earning the very next day, anywhere in Peru.
US, UK → PeruEstablished February 2025
The four-step cycle
From a gift to a day’s income.
02
Restore & sell
Analog cameras are restored in Lima and sold in our shop. Film is too costly for a young person starting out, so every sale funds digital equipment instead.
03
The working kit
A digital camera plus a portable printer. Most young people have a phone but no computer — with a printer, a photo becomes something to sell on the street the same day.
04
Learn & earn
A free photography lesson in Lima, and free online classes for those in other cities and regions. The kit is theirs for life.
Fund a kit
Not every gift needs a box.
Money goes straight into working kits for young people in Peru: digital cameras, portable printers and the paper and ink that turn photos into income.
Payments are processed securely by PayPal. You don't need a PayPal account to give by card. FocalLab is an independent, unregistered personal initiative. We do not issue charitable tax-deduction receipts.
Where a gift goes:
Digital cameras
A reliable digital camera — no film to buy, no lab to pay.
Portable printers
A small printer so photos can be sold on the spot, without a computer.
Lessons and shipping
Free lessons, and getting kits to young people across Peru — not only Lima.
The shop
Buy a restored camera. Fund a kit.
Restored film and analog cameras from the Lima workshop. Every sale goes towards digital cameras and printers for young people in Peru.
See the shopThe Parts Bin
Broken doesn’t mean without purpose.
Unrepairable cameras are welcome. A screw, a spring, a battery door or a piece of glass can bring another camera back to life. You don’t need to know whether yours works.
When harvested parts restore another camera, their contribution can be recorded in an “Organ Donor” certificate.
Give your unused gear a purposeThe Camera Passport
Follow the second life.
Illustrative workshop imageEvery second life starts here.
A camera's passport begins with an intake photo and an honest assessment of its condition.
The first real camera, repair record and recipient story are awaiting documentation. This is not a completed grant.
Tools of trade
An instrument of independence.
Events. Local businesses. Products. Stories that matter. Photography can be practical work—and a restored camera can be the beginning of a livelihood.
Photographic preservation and education, based in Miraflores, Lima. Educational resources contributed to EnginBox free of charge.
Para jóvenes en Perú
Tu mirada. Tu trabajo. Tu cámara.
Si tienes entre 16 y 25 años y quieres usar la fotografía para generar ingresos, cuéntanos tu plan.
Solicita una cámara