About Felix

Felix Masi

Felix Masi is an internationally renowned photo-journalist and humanitarian. As co-director of Voiceless Children, Felix brings together a wealth of experience in documenting humanitarian images on camera, with a very personal background of loss, poverty and overcoming life’s challenges.

“Photographing people living with HIV/AIDS and orphaned children in their daily life is disturbing” according to Felix, but through his photos he hopes to give voice to the millions of orphaned children, widows and grandmothers affected by this disease.

Felix’s photography has been exhibited in both Kenya and the United States of America (USA), and is alumni of a Visiting Fulbright program in leadership, has won prestigious awards and contributes his photographs of humanitarian and social issues to World Press Photo foundation, UNAIDS, DIFID, European Photo Agency, Christian Blinden Mission International, John Hopkins Infoforhealth.org, and Afrikaneuws.org.

Felix founded Voiceless Children with co-director, Susie Banfield of the U.S. in 2005. Through this strong bond, they work in Kenya and parts of East Africa identifying opportunities to empower women and children affected by HIV / AIDS.

“In journalism we say that one picture is worth a thousand words, and there is a Chinese saying that a distance of 1,000 miles begins with a single step,” says Felix. "These are the first steps of that journey." It is through his gift of photo-journalism that Felix is now able to give the women and children the voice they need to create progress and a sustainable way towards a decent future.

Felix was born and raised in Kisumu, Western Kenya to a single mother. He and his three brothers and one sister were orphaned at an early age, and left in the care of foster parents. After discovering the terrible conditions the children were kept in, Felix was removed by his grandmother and uncle and spent his early teenage years in the care of his sister and relatives.

His passion for photography began as a child. Felix’s mother was an avid photographer. She preferred the black-and-white format, and documented much of the children's early years until her death when Felix was only eight years old.

Felix attended a boarding school where he was among the fortunate children of Kenya to have a high school education. After finishing high school Felix began working in photo-journalism and established an excellent reputation working with The Standard, a leading local newspaper in Kenya. During this time Felix documented humanity, climate change, human suffering, poverty, vulnerability, and international crises.

In 1996, Felix’s brother, Dennis, passed away after contracting HIV/AIDS. This event, combined with a life of witnessing Africa’s struggle with the disease, spurred Felix to resign from his position at the local paper and begin working as an independent journalist focused on humanitarian crises like HIV/AIDS.

The founding of Voiceless Children in 2005, along with the dedicated support of Susie Banfield, has allowed Felix the ability to fulfill his work as a photo-journalist and serve his people by giving them a global voice.

Felix now lives in Nairobi, Kenya, and spends much of his time traveling around Africa documenting life challenges--and hope--through his photo documentaries.

Read about Felix's message here.