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A single mother and the sole provider for her children in the camp, she supports her family through small businesses run from her home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/2239b8c9-f5fd-4aef-8014-5bb9157ad2cf/E22A0221.JPG Photography Portfolio - Between Work and Waiting: Mariam’s Life in Kakuma Family registration document A refugee registration document belonging to the household of Mariam Nininahazwe in Kakuma refugee camp. Her 13-year-old daughter, Hurlaini, was reported missing while the family was living in the camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/5e5d7cb4-d82e-4850-b569-a03f478d8094/E22A0182.JPG Photography Portfolio - Between Work and Waiting: Mariam’s Life in Kakuma Tailoring workspace Clothing hangs inside the small tailoring space where Mariam Nininahazwe sews garments for residents of Kakuma refugee camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/de91abb7-6e40-4d4c-82d6-eedf029a31d6/E22A0197.JPG Photography Portfolio - Between Work and Waiting: Mariam’s Life in Kakuma Sewing at home Mariam Nininahazwe works at a sewing machine inside her home workshop in Kakuma refugee camp while her daughter Shemsa stands nearby. Mariam asked that her face not be photographed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/86d25119-7892-427a-9066-2a676af1c857/E22A0201.JPG Photography Portfolio - Between Work and Waiting: Mariam’s Life in Kakuma Sewing detail Mariam Nininahazwe operates a sewing machine inside her tailoring workspace in Kakuma refugee camp, where she earns income making clothes for customers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b91627d9-a98d-4c5e-bb36-43971eb7f38b/E22A0207.JPG Photography Portfolio - Between Work and Waiting: Mariam’s Life in Kakuma Cake reference A photograph of a decorated cake on a mobile phone serves as a reference image for a cake ordered from Mariam Nininahazwe by a customer in Kakuma refugee camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ce7f6979-9e51-49ff-99b0-863f407ef2aa/E22A0214.JPG Photography Portfolio - Between Work and Waiting: Mariam’s Life in Kakuma Home baking oven A small oven used by Mariam Nininahazwe to bake cakes and pastries from her shelter in Kakuma refugee camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/dbb56904-ee8c-4417-8787-4585bc81af45/E22A0216.JPG Photography Portfolio - Between Work and Waiting: Mariam’s Life in Kakuma Freshly baked cake Mariam Nininahazwe holds a cake she baked for a customer in Kakuma refugee camp, supplementing the income she earns from sewing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/8c508384-143b-4e4e-9f5f-78061ed59c7f/E22A0224.JPG Photography Portfolio - Between Work and Waiting: Mariam’s Life in Kakuma Household kitchen Cooking utensils and containers outside Mariam Nininahazwe’s shelter in Kakuma refugee camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/95ee5e4e-e68f-4f74-8e88-d36dd5180782/E22A0210.JPG Photography Portfolio - Between Work and Waiting: Mariam’s Life in Kakuma Inside Mariam’s home View from inside Mariam Nininahazwe’s shelter in Kakuma refugee camp as she steps outside. Mariam runs tailoring and baking work from the home she shares with her children. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/f9c85311-9275-4990-b632-e4b4e37c5a14/E22A0228.JPG Photography Portfolio - Between Work and Waiting: Mariam’s Life in Kakuma Shemsa at home Shemsa, the daughter of Mariam Nininahazwe, stands at the entrance of the family home in Kakuma refugee camp. Mariam supports Shemsa and her siblings through the work she carries out from their shelter. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/ethiopian-eritrean-refugee-kakuma-kenya monthly 0.5 2026-06-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/279cfe58-b633-4341-8c6f-fb79623beff0/E22A0346+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Waiting for a Country Nazrit Tesfaye studies in Kakuma refugee camp. Education became both ambition and obligation: he hoped qualifications could help change his family’s future. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/3a0e6a9f-e818-497e-a9dd-1c480dfa3720/E22A0354+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Waiting for a Country Nazrit moves through the narrow paths of Kakuma, where his family rebuilt life after being forced to leave Nairobi and relocate to the camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/63c31348-c17d-49ea-bc3d-f48e728f0089/E22A0360+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Waiting for a Country Nazrit stands at the entrance of the family home. After fleeing Ethiopia as a child, this shelter became another temporary chapter in a life shaped by movement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/f37b6b1e-87b1-4793-b79f-c0187b7ddcab/E22A0365+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Waiting for a Country Inside the family shelter, handwritten messages cover the walls while a younger sibling sleeps beneath a mosquito net. The room holds both hardship and imagination. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/194346aa-2d65-4160-9c03-86cbc9c81af0/E22A0382+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Waiting for a Country Nazrit reads in the room he shared with family members. He said the pressure was on him to gain an education and transform their circumstances. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/de703064-d09a-4cfb-86df-6ccc20b974ff/E22A0385+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Waiting for a Country Accepted to study economics in Canada, Nazrit prepared for a future he hoped would finally offer identity, stability and opportunity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/30fbb8db-f4b7-4004-9a5a-c977058dc108/E22A0389+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Waiting for a Country Nazrit’s younger brother lifts the worn mosquito net. Nazrit was only slightly older than him when his own family first fled Ethiopia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/cb8ec65b-5dcc-4260-a197-27b11b9f7947/E22A0393+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Waiting for a Country Nazrit’s mother serves coffee inside the family shelter. During the Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict, she faced deportation despite being married to an Ethiopian citizen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/9ee732e7-9686-41af-b270-68f40a98ba4b/E22A0401+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Waiting for a Country Nazrit sits with his mother in Kakuma. Their family’s journey had crossed war, exile, forced relocation and years of uncertainty. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/4f8d4bf1-61b7-46f0-b612-1f5f869e1243/E22A0405+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Waiting for a Country Nazrit’s younger brother sits beneath a poster of a large house fixed to the wall. Behind the curtain, Nazrit stands in shadow: an image of hope, waiting and the future imagined from inside the camp. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/season-of-the-time-kakuma-refugee-camp monthly 0.5 2026-06-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d5d02ffb-c3e4-456b-a986-74f3c39608e3/E22A0070+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Season of the Time A ruined structure stands beside the area where Fidele Wabenga, 16, operated his studio in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya. The surroundings reflect the scarcity and impermanence of camp life, in contrast to the ambition growing inside. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/48766550-d1fd-4c36-aa01-281233668e0f/E22A0472+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Season of the Time Fidele Wabenga enters his studio workspace in Kakuma Refugee Camp. From this small room, he built a photography and film business serving the community. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d0f0f074-7952-47c3-865b-5ecf3cdb3519/E22A0481+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Season of the Time Fidele Wabenga at work inside his studio. Self-taught as a teenager, he used media as a tool for both livelihood and representation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/4e24e5ab-3184-4c0a-ab42-d378f134ecc6/E22A0489+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Season of the Time Fidele Wabenga inside Season of the Time Productions, the company he founded in Kakuma Refugee Camp. He later trained other young people in photography and filming. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/6c79b617-b920-4fd5-b2c3-a1341fb69f76/E22A0492+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Season of the Time Film posters cover the walls of Wabenga’s studio, reflecting global influences and creative aspirations shaped inside the camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ba298b6d-5931-4ca5-a471-25c9180036c7/E22A0493+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Season of the Time The small handheld camera used by Fidele Wabenga to begin filming and photographing life in Kakuma Refugee Camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c66e64ce-cfb7-4f27-8c4b-41635673fa0d/E22A0496+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Season of the Time The hand-painted sign inside Wabenga’s studio. The business provided photography, filming, and local storytelling services to camp residents. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/75394cd3-022a-4963-950a-3e1d90bad595/Screen+Shot+2026-04-29+at+13.26.13.jpeg Photography Portfolio - Season of the Time A poster addressing support for survivors of gender-based violence hangs inside the studio, showing how media spaces in the camp also served wider social and community needs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e6b23d11-f054-4204-9c96-355d59553d68/E22A0500+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Season of the Time Fidele Wabenga stands at the entrance of his studio in Kakuma Refugee Camp, where he created a space for storytelling and opportunity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/cd2b4096-e931-438d-8c54-3d9b53cdb181/E22A0337.JPG Photography Portfolio - Season of the Time A price list and contact notice outside Fidele Wabenga’s studio in Kakuma Refugee Camp advertises DVDs, television series, and film services. The handwritten updates reflect the practical realities of running a small media business inside the camp. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/runway-of-ruins-aden-airport-yemen monthly 0.5 2026-06-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/84988c50-01e6-4513-b913-ecee4f6003c2/IMG_1197+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Where Planes Land, War Still Lies Beneath Project Masam Team 24 Leader Jalal Ama'abd Amer stands at Aden International Airport, where deminers continue clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance from ground contested during the 2015 battle for the city. Teams say the airport’s mixed terrain of rubble, compacted earth and buried debris makes every search slow and methodical. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/85377f64-e958-487a-add8-abb508653013/IMG_1213+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Where Planes Land, War Still Lies Beneath A supervisor points to a clearance map marking searched sectors and hazardous areas at Aden International Airport. Detailed mapping is used to track progress and guide deminers working across former battlefield terrain still contaminated by wartime explosives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/45a65d33-5699-45b3-a744-5ba26e986c0e/IMG_1230+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Where Planes Land, War Still Lies Beneath War-damaged airport buildings remain standing inside Aden International Airport years after fighting swept through the area in 2015. Clearance teams say former defensive positions, broken structures and disturbed ground can complicate efforts to locate hidden mines and unexploded ordnance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/34a32f24-88b4-4d22-b7c8-fb0fd817f1a4/IMG_1239+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Where Planes Land, War Still Lies Beneath A wide stretch of damaged open ground inside Aden International Airport awaits continued clearance and redevelopment. Deminers say large exposed areas can still conceal explosive hazards beneath sand, rubble and compacted soil. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/884a2607-8eb1-467f-93df-2f1c896c5f8e/IMG_1254+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Where Planes Land, War Still Lies Beneath A commercial aircraft departs Aden International Airport beyond ruined structures left by war. While flights operate today, Project Masam teams continue removing mines and unexploded ordnance so passengers, workers and future airport expansion can be made safer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7c026b49-4a27-47ed-a647-fabf807df5ca/IMG_1261+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Where Planes Land, War Still Lies Beneath Project Masam Team 24 Leader Jalal Ama'abd Amer rests inside a bomb-damaged building now used as a control point during clearance operations at Aden International Airport. Deminers often pause during extreme heat before returning to careful search work in hazardous areas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/1f318231-101c-43a0-9ece-0cfb57b4ba22/IMG_8027+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Where Planes Land, War Still Lies Beneath Project Masam Team 24 deminer Mohammed Saleh Gharamah poses during operations at Aden International Airport. Protective equipment is worn while clearing ground contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnance left from past fighting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/9ed1fc31-27b9-4e9f-a042-12355b4a3ffa/IMG_8030+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Where Planes Land, War Still Lies Beneath The search head of a metal detector rests on the ground during mine-clearance operations at Aden International Airport. Deminers sweep slowly across difficult terrain where metal fragments, construction debris and war remnants can complicate detection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/250f3791-f300-4e3a-ab07-337be8b93bc5/IMG_8031+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Where Planes Land, War Still Lies Beneath Project Masam deminer Mohammed Qassim Naji advances across cleared lanes with a detector at Aden International Airport. Teams move metre by metre through former conflict ground to locate hidden explosives before land can be safely reused. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ede346e3-90fe-48d8-aac5-c96030554c28/IMG_8050+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Where Planes Land, War Still Lies Beneath A burned-out vehicle remains inside Aden International Airport, where wreckage and debris still mark past battles. Deminers say abandoned machinery, twisted metal and disturbed earth can make clearance work more complex. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/fb48171b-f163-4b7e-bd87-7862c67acb14/IMG_8069+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Where Planes Land, War Still Lies Beneath Members of Project Masam Team 24 stand together during operations at Aden International Airport. The team continues unexploded ordnance and mine-clearance work aimed at improving safety and supporting the airport’s long-term recovery. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/3b1480d2-f375-44a6-9ff7-7c02e4717272/IMG_8094+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Where Planes Land, War Still Lies Beneath A red marker flag identifies a hazardous or controlled search area during clearance work at Aden International Airport. Such markers help teams map progress and warn others away from potentially contaminated ground. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/209f061b-8a2f-4db3-b292-64863ead54c5/IMG_7453+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Where Planes Land, War Still Lies Beneath A child watches aircraft through the terminal windows at Aden International Airport. With Yemenia Airways often the only commercial airline serving Aden, the airport remains an essential link for passengers travelling in and out of southern Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/3e85fc81-12f9-46f9-847e-fee3ab9b646e/IMG_0289+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Where Planes Land, War Still Lies Beneath Aden International Airport illuminated at night. New reconstruction funding announced in 2026 includes restoration works, runway rehabilitation and upgraded navigation systems aimed at improving safety and expanding operations. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/burundis-war-invisible-victims-idps monthly 0.5 2026-06-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e1291937-6d04-4287-85f5-4733b59a3ab6/IMG_0399+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Burundi’s Invisible Victims: Going Hungry in Camps Beyond the Headlines A child wrapped in cloth stands on a pathway inside the displaced persons camp, where families uprooted by Burundi’s 2015 political crisis sought safety in makeshift shelters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/80063bc1-3bf7-4349-b128-07e724adc04c/IMG_0500+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Burundi’s Invisible Victims: Going Hungry in Camps Beyond the Headlines A woman holds a child outside her shelter in the camp, where many families displaced by violence around Bujumbura were living with limited assistance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/18d9b617-adc6-4b34-bb4f-3d66edfe8e2e/IMG_0581+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Burundi’s Invisible Victims: Going Hungry in Camps Beyond the Headlines A view of temporary shelters in the Carana displaced persons camp in Kinama, on the outskirts of Bujumbura, where families sought refuge during Burundi’s 2015 unrest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ebf7b56f-041c-408b-8dd0-558738e0e372/IMG_0494+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Burundi’s Invisible Victims: Going Hungry in Camps Beyond the Headlines A narrow corridor runs between rows of shelters built from plastic sheeting, timber and salvaged materials inside the displaced persons camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/679c68af-a4e3-4fb2-bbc9-edfd9b91487a/IMG_0459+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Burundi’s Invisible Victims: Going Hungry in Camps Beyond the Headlines Two men, fathers, stand inside a temporary shelter, where plastic sheeting, wooden poles and hanging clothes formed cramped homes for displaced families. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0aa6e32e-791a-43dd-a2c9-02d43263a5d5/IMG_0551+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Burundi’s Invisible Victims: Going Hungry in Camps Beyond the Headlines Light enters a shelter where residents rest and gather, highlighting the improvised structures built to house families displaced by the crisis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/8146f690-21d4-4a4e-be82-fedf36e7df4a/IMG_0559+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Burundi’s Invisible Victims: Going Hungry in Camps Beyond the Headlines A woman stands with childrenn inside a makeshift shelter, illustrating the difficult conditions in which many displaced families were living. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/39929375-4798-499b-8673-693cd2545418/IMG_0519+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Burundi’s Invisible Victims: Going Hungry in Camps Beyond the Headlines Children play behind charcoal spread out to dry on the ground inside the camp, where domestic work and childhood often unfolded side by side in the narrow spaces between shelters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/340d74a5-7f2f-4d57-a57b-2c524d1f2ed8/IMG_0569+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Burundi’s Invisible Victims: Going Hungry in Camps Beyond the Headlines Residents prepare food together in a communal area, sharing limited supplies as families adapted to life inside the camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0d67176e-6a87-4124-ab93-9f06296fe125/IMG_0571+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Burundi’s Invisible Victims: Going Hungry in Camps Beyond the Headlines Rice is sorted and cleaned before cooking, part of the daily food preparation carried out by residents in the camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/bcceb309-e80e-402a-b7b9-61b527ccdc56/DSC04466+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Burundi’s Invisible Victims: Going Hungry in Camps Beyond the Headlines Small fish are prepared and dried for meals, supplementing staple foods for families living in the displaced persons camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/5c0f1125-f413-4ffb-867d-96786e42cf4b/IMG_0491+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Burundi’s Invisible Victims: Going Hungry in Camps Beyond the Headlines Children play with improvised toys made from discarded and found materials inside the camp, where families displaced by violence adapted daily life with limited possessions and resources. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/77550a98-3a24-48c7-bd50-2ec7d1e9944b/IMG_0502+3.JPG Photography Portfolio - Burundi’s Invisible Victims: Going Hungry in Camps Beyond the Headlines An ill woman lies beneath a mosquito net inside her shelter, a common protection against malaria in the crowded camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/81d20d18-1848-4016-a054-f7ea0896959b/IMG_0392+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Burundi’s Invisible Victims: Going Hungry in Camps Beyond the Headlines An older woman carries a child outside her shelter in the displaced persons camp, where several generations of families uprooted by Burundi’s 2015 crisis were often living together in fragile conditions. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/after-srebrenica-women-carry-the-future monthly 0.5 2026-06-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/fe5bc1a8-ebb7-4cf9-8ddb-7e7e565dabee/IMG_1828+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - After Srebrenica: Women Carry the Future A mural in Republika Srpska, the Serb-majority entity created under the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement. Before the war, many of these areas were ethnically mixed, home to Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats; campaigns of ethnic cleansing, killings and expulsions drastically changed the population. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/749a2894-9593-4b3e-88bc-5a525ce35a2a/IMG_1885+2.jpg Photography Portfolio - After Srebrenica: Women Carry the Future A ruined home stands in winter near Srebrenica. Across eastern Bosnia, damaged and abandoned houses remain visible reminders of displacement, killings and families who never returned. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/edc91897-2830-4323-8d31-93e974ce7193/IMG_1904+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - After Srebrenica: Women Carry the Future The Petkovci Dam, now a summer retreat with beaches and restaurants near the Serbian border. In July 1995, hundreds of captured Bosniak men were executed nearby after being held at the dam site, making it one of the key mass-execution locations of the genocide. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/f5ef6544-0c9f-4c48-a8ac-72ac804a4859/IMG_1936+2.jpg Photography Portfolio - After Srebrenica: Women Carry the Future Begija Vejzović Smajić, a mathematics teacher in Srebrenica town, stands near the lake. She was twelve years old when her father was killed during the genocide. Today she speaks publicly as a survivor and works to ensure younger generations understand what happened. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/1f9a941f-166e-4ebf-a21f-7ad5b46a3d84/IMG_1938+2.jpg Photography Portfolio - After Srebrenica: Women Carry the Future A young Bosniak boy crosses the water near Petkovci. A small Bosnian flag hangs from his boat - a silent act of identity in Republika Srpska, where Serbian flags are far more commonly displayed. He is one of Begija’s former students, part of a generation growing up in communities where the past remains deeply present but the future is still being imagined. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/08ec97a8-8321-4def-9a04-d37df467f9e2/IMG_2077+2.jpg Photography Portfolio - After Srebrenica: Women Carry the Future Begija Vejzović Smajić at home in Pećišta, a village a few hundred metres from Potočari. When not teaching mathematics, she visits and supports families affected by war trauma and displacement, including women raising children alone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/9811391a-4d20-4b35-b678-052d5c38c4d9/IMG_2127+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - After Srebrenica: Women Carry the Future Graffiti and drawings remain on the walls of the former Dutch UN base (“Dutchbat”) at Potočari, preserved as they were in 1995. For many survivors, the site remains a symbol of an international presence that failed to act. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/105c18a7-3ea4-4ba9-afe1-00c64a42a90f/IMG_2137+3.jpg Photography Portfolio - After Srebrenica: Women Carry the Future Inside the former factory halls used by Dutch UN peacekeepers. In July 1995, more than 20,000 displaced Bosniaks gathered nearby hoping the UN presence would offer protection; many were later separated, forced onto buses or killed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b0c82ee8-0b52-48bf-a191-97e4cf2a63a9/IMG_2155+2.jpg Photography Portfolio - After Srebrenica: Women Carry the Future Rows of graves at the Srebrenica–Potočari Memorial Centre, where more than 8,000 victims of the genocide are buried. The green grave markers indicate newly identified remains or forthcoming burials, a reminder that thirty years later families are still laying loved ones to rest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b5ed1ed5-effa-471b-98bd-43a8fd0ac40c/IMG_2182+2.jpg Photography Portfolio - After Srebrenica: Women Carry the Future Mirnesa Delić at her home near Srebrenica. She was detained as a child in Sušica, where Bosnian Serb forces ran a camp in 1992 in which thousands of Bosniaks were imprisoned, abused and tortured. She now raises her family in eastern Bosnia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/f8610f5b-67f2-4524-9e13-a63267ea471a/IMG_2217+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - After Srebrenica: Women Carry the Future Mirnesa’s son plays at home and dreams of becoming a professional footballer. He knows the history that shaped his family and belongs to a generation growing up with inherited memory and their own ambitions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/71509241-dbf8-4551-abd6-4b793a786851/IMG_2172.JPG Photography Portfolio - After Srebrenica: Women Carry the Future Žućko, Mirnesa’s cat, sits by the front door in the cold. His name means “yellow” or “ginger”; he lost his ears to foxes. The image marks the transition from the outside world into the warmth of the family home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c7d6c92c-2d84-47f3-bbab-724d28caa956/IMG_2215+2.jpg Photography Portfolio - After Srebrenica: Women Carry the Future Bosnian coffee is served during a family visit. Hospitality remains a deeply rooted ritual in homes shaped by war, loss and survival. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/safe-haven-women-rebuilding-life-after-trauma-in-kakuma-refugee-camp monthly 0.5 2026-06-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e19422b0-1fd8-49d1-b639-6943fd5a8eda/E22A0277.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp A narrow path runs beside the corrugated perimeter of the Safe Haven in Kakuma refugee camp, where women and children at risk were housed in a discreet protected shelter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/5bbce3be-adb8-41fe-bc89-c2b28754d7fc/E22A0274.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp The entrance to the Safe Haven is partially hidden behind fencing in Kakuma, reflecting the need for privacy and security for residents facing threats. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/6ef9831a-e0b1-43b0-abb2-5b99e072098d/E22A0241.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp Rules and notices hang inside the entrance of the shelter, where daily life was structured around safety, confidentiality and shared responsibilities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/bbd4f620-5ffe-4e96-a2c6-e1ca6c674fb8/E22A0243.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp Monica Mburu, a South Sudanese refugee who helped run the Safe Haven, stands inside one of the shelter rooms where women received support and protection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/8bfbdc70-d949-4a5a-a95f-9c0b609636da/E22A0248.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp Clarisse, a Congolese refugee survivor of sexual violence, sits beside a curtained window in her room at the Safe Haven, where she began rebuilding her life through training and work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7bc14a4a-8053-4458-bd7f-8f168e938fb3/E22A0249.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp Clarisse sits quietly inside her room in Kakuma. Like many women at the shelter, she was recovering from trauma while waiting for a more secure future. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/bf5f289a-f417-4fd0-adce-91e071976d09/E22A0254.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp Clarisse smiles during a portrait inside the shelter. A mother of a young son, she trained to support other women facing trauma while working to rebuild a safer future for her family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/47865c97-3098-4ad5-b5a8-cfe3a75250e7/E22A0269.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp A resident stands with children at the entrance to the Safe Haven, where mothers and children facing protection risks could live under close supervision. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c98faecf-9d9e-455b-b08a-d7395c766c79/E22A0410.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp Children walk through the shelter compound in Kakuma. Many residents were the sons and daughters of women who had fled violence, abuse or severe insecurity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0144d2c1-da16-413d-96b5-10fdaebb457b/E22A0416.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp Sarah Chepleting, one of the refugee women helping run the Safe Haven, sits inside the shelter where staff balanced counselling, administration and daily care. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/1c6442a2-fd1c-4c67-8d28-bd4371f1214d/E22A0438.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp Rose Akwero Lee, a refugee staff member at the Safe Haven, poses inside the compound. Refugee women themselves formed the backbone of support services there. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d04ca633-5420-4646-9b5d-350c7df59b6f/E22A0450.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp Viewed through barred windows, the shelter courtyard is seen beyond the room where residents lived. Security measures shaped daily life for women under threat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/2c7668a3-9383-49f4-9a26-41ee8f596dfc/E22A0464.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp Women gather while working on textiles inside the Safe Haven, where sewing and craftwork provided income, routine and a sense of shared purpose. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a318ada4-001c-480d-adce-45fface8cd8c/E22A0467.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp Residents work together on fabric in the shelter courtyard. Practical skills and communal labour helped many women regain confidence after trauma and displacement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0f214d54-28aa-4056-be39-57b49718403e/E22A0903+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp Marie Angel Kashindi, a young refugee from the DRC, poses inside her room at the Safe Haven in Kakuma refugee camp before learning whether she would be approved for relocation. For months, like many refugees, she lived between uncertainty and hope. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/505075fd-0ea3-441f-bc7a-506a1ae3bf5f/E22A0916+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp Marie Angel sits inside her room at the Safe Haven in Kakuma refugee camp, where women at risk could find temporary protection while waiting for decisions that might change their lives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/08731c6e-04f9-4ede-a111-462b14ca8fb7/E22A0922+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp Marie Angel stands in the doorway of her room at the Safe Haven in Kakuma refugee camp before her eventual relocation. The shelter offered security, privacy and time to plan a future beyond the camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/56dd010d-98b0-49ac-b778-3a8165f9911d/E22A0455.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp A calendar hangs beside the barred window in Marie Angel’s room at the Safe Haven in Kakuma refugee camp. She said she often looked toward the window while counting the days until she could leave safely on a UN relocation flight. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c7ed1000-4b72-4257-9674-54f4ad17e706/E22A0460.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp After receiving confirmation of her departure, Marie Angel begins packing her belongings inside the Safe Haven. What had been a room of waiting became, at last, a room of preparation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7d4a2759-72d2-4488-af08-3bdd460fef2b/E22A0461.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp Marie Angel’s room stands empty after her departure from Kakuma. The bed, window and bare walls remain, marked by the absence of someone who had waited there for a future beyond the camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/1c38aa3a-ef66-451e-a411-bd5fd02ae393/IMG_4825.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp Marie Angel drags her suitcase along the dusty paths of Kakuma refugee camp as she leaves for the airport, carrying the few possessions gathered during years of displacement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0b08e89f-8821-49db-86e9-39defa66a1a4/E22A0054.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp Ground staff load luggage onto a UN-chartered flight carrying refugees out of Kakuma. For Marie Angel, the journey marked the end of years of uncertainty and the beginning of a new life elsewhere. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/07698ec2-00c3-433a-a452-380b9fbb6963/E22A0053+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Safe Haven: Women Rebuilding Life after Trauma in Kakuma Refugee Camp A UN flight prepares to depart from northern Kenya with refugees approved for relocation. For those on board, departure meant safety, separation, and an uncertain future beyond the camp. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/burundi-albino-marked-for-sale-evaristes-search-for-safety monthly 0.5 2026-04-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ce5a7bdd-da0d-4d93-a31d-86b937bacd52/E22A0724.JPG Photography Portfolio - Marked for Sale: Evariste's search for safety Evariste, 15, places a hand over the rosary he wears inside the Safe Haven compound in Kakuma refugee camp. Faith remained one of the few constants after fleeing Burundi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b05d3d40-4faf-4e1a-b273-a7cc4e249f29/E22A0035.JPG Photography Portfolio - Marked for Sale: Evariste's search for safety Evariste poses inside Kakuma refugee camp. He fled Burundi as a child after relatives allegedly tried to sell him because of his albinism. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/821f8a7c-9dfe-4e50-a45f-52eeccf567aa/E22A0728.JPG Photography Portfolio - Marked for Sale: Evariste's search for safety Inside the protection compound, Evariste waits through long days of uncertainty. Outside the walls, he said he feared harassment and abduction. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/da78ce11-977d-4c56-bbfb-4e1a134841eb/E22A0735.JPG Photography Portfolio - Marked for Sale: Evariste's search for safety The dusty ground behind the protection compound where Evariste was living in Kakuma refugee camp. Though safer there than outside, isolation remained part of daily life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/83e01931-7520-44f8-b3e0-2ae625a3e7a5/E22A0729.JPG Photography Portfolio - Marked for Sale: Evariste's search for safety Evariste stands beside another resident inside the compound. His albinism made him highly visible in a region where people with the condition are often targeted by violent superstition. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/53ff0dc3-e61f-4ac6-9e04-50cf8be95e27/E22A0196.JPG Photography Portfolio - Marked for Sale: Evariste's search for safety Evariste stands among other teenagers in Kakuma. Despite isolation and fear, he sought friendship and belonging like any other adolescent. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/2d6125d1-332a-4a0a-ac10-196703f1a403/E22A0028.JPG Photography Portfolio - Marked for Sale: Evariste's search for safety Evariste raps, and dances with other young refugees during a gathering inside the compound. Music offered release from the pressures of camp life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/f45f0640-93f0-45a7-a91f-cd50354f61a0/E22A0052.JPG Photography Portfolio - Marked for Sale: Evariste's search for safety For moments at a time, fear gave way to laughter, rhythm and teenage confidence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/bdc54196-9e21-4d51-8f43-de1203335be0/E22A0732.JPG Photography Portfolio - Marked for Sale: Evariste's search for safety Evariste poses beneath trees in Kakuma refugee camp. He hoped one day to become an advocate for people living with albinism. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/growing-up-kakuma-refugee-camp monthly 0.5 2026-04-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/f4f84b10-18ca-48f7-8023-ed29eee20bb1/E22A0150.JPG Photography Portfolio - Growing up Kakuma A young man poses inside a small shop in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/bad92e52-9eb2-49ba-8c89-34f1379074f9/E22A0702.JPG Photography Portfolio - Growing up Kakuma Two boys lean from a classroom window in matching Juventus shirts. Football kits travel farther than borders; in Kakuma, global teams become local uniforms of belonging, style and imagination. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/f43c9332-af30-4cbb-bc98-5630f12ad6be/E22A0827.JPG Photography Portfolio - Growing up Kakuma Children play football on a sandy pitch between shelters in Kakuma. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/bf598a4f-862a-498e-b06a-0d4cd8ae211b/E22A0837.JPG Photography Portfolio - Growing up Kakuma Boys perform handstands and flips in an open space in Kakuma refugee camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/99513a27-a553-4336-a39a-2c97edeecdaf/E22A0936.JPG Photography Portfolio - Growing up Kakuma A South Sudanese teen runs through evening dust on a road inside Kakuma. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/33b7b4f9-cc4f-46ea-8a09-7a38aeaf0033/E22A0970.JPG Photography Portfolio - Growing up Kakuma Young men gather in a salon as one has his hair cut in Kakuma refugee camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0deebb65-4cf2-452a-918c-0fc561165c14/E22A0816.JPG Photography Portfolio - Growing up Kakuma Young men gather inside a friend’s tailoring shop in Kakuma. Clothes are repaired, altered and remade here; the small room is also a place to talk, joke and imagine new styles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/6fff80d5-7ff2-48e7-8e17-0bffd7927e03/E22A0165.JPG Photography Portfolio - Growing up Kakuma A boy wearing mirrored sunglasses stands beside a water tank in Kakuma. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c1972dcc-f00e-450a-9d0c-7437e1e91e45/E22A0175.JPG Photography Portfolio - Growing up Kakuma A young woman in a Miss sash and holding a microphone prepares to speak or perform in Kakuma. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/88632adf-df6e-48b2-a4d5-bb756e40d2c5/E22A0190.JPG Photography Portfolio - Growing up Kakuma A girl photographs the scene while leaning through branches in Kakuma. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/39fe41a8-89a7-4b47-a418-459a3d3a498e/E22A0199.JPG Photography Portfolio - Growing up Kakuma A South Sudanese boy in Kakuma refugee camp adjusts mirrored sunglasses. Faint traditional forehead scarification marks, practiced historically by several Nilotic communities, hint at family heritage carried across displacement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/88667b92-8dc8-49c3-b3c0-7ef925f4f49d/E22A0208.JPG Photography Portfolio - Growing up Kakuma Two young women pose beside a tree wearing sunglasses in Kakuma. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/a-tailors-shop-in-kakuma monthly 0.5 2026-06-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/24207956-5b4b-4bde-9121-33ef3c8b52d1/E22A0823.JPG Photography Portfolio - A Tailor’s Shop in Kakuma Young men gather inside a tailoring shop in the Somali quarter of Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/2d930b81-b990-4a1e-8c24-5a97c8555836/E22A0825.JPG Photography Portfolio - A Tailor’s Shop in Kakuma The tailor in his workshop. He learned the craft through skills practiced by women in his family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/791b335d-130c-4690-a0db-c2a9e1132798/E22A0795.JPG Photography Portfolio - A Tailor’s Shop in Kakuma A young man from South Sudan spends time in the shop, exchanging jokes in English and Kiswahili with others who gather there. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/526062e8-b44d-4e5b-aa6b-71d17a719e8d/e22a0807_1_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - A Tailor’s Shop in Kakuma The tailor gestures while speaking with visitors who spend time in the shop. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/343c425f-45e3-4f57-ba9d-907a2aea2d10/E22A0788.JPG Photography Portfolio - A Tailor’s Shop in Kakuma Fabric is guided through the sewing machine during garment construction. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ab9e04e7-7e7f-459e-9945-4d310bff04e2/E22A0793.JPG Photography Portfolio - A Tailor’s Shop in Kakuma The tailor operates the foot pedal of his sewing machine. He wears locally made sandals, typical of the camp, crafted from recycled materials and decorated with beads. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/95414323-61b7-4989-8bef-fbc02c4e14c5/E22A0813.JPG Photography Portfolio - A Tailor’s Shop in Kakuma Work and conversation take place side by side inside the shop. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a9ba108e-2626-44af-af9c-cd8f5a76a60e/E22A0800.JPG Photography Portfolio - A Tailor’s Shop in Kakuma A photograph kept in the workshop references family and personal history. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/57390b25-31a3-4f4a-9852-204fcdf57591/E22A0826.JPG Photography Portfolio - A Tailor’s Shop in Kakuma A young man from South Sudan wears a bracelet in the colours of Kenya while spending time in the shop. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e403ca12-6d92-42e9-8107-5c75e8a10e76/E22A0798.JPG Photography Portfolio - A Tailor’s Shop in Kakuma A visitor in the shop. The space functions as a place to meet and spend time together. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/stranded-refugees-south-sudan-kenya monthly 0.5 2026-06-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/872a4bef-aef5-4035-a95d-c411b6346a04/DSC08843+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry A Kenyan security officer walks near a “Stop Customs Area” sign at the Nadapal border crossing, the main point of entry between South Sudan and Kenya. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d30c7b4f-21fb-414a-ba6f-56dfea7f1114/DSC08849+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry Through a window, Kenyan officials and security personnel move between the South Sudanese and Kenyan sides of the border, where access for asylum seekers had become restricted. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/79e08f0b-6384-4aa9-bef4-abca18952904/DSC08856+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry A building at the border. Facilities intended to house and process asylum seekers remained underused as many were denied entry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/be6c837e-eafa-46a3-aa97-ac6ed7024dad/DSC08863+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry The landscape around Nadapal, a remote and arid crossing point where many asylum seekers arrived after long journeys. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a8128e2c-d987-4ea6-ad70-66ea94ff5638/DSC08860+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry Groups gather near the border area. Hundreds of asylum seekers arriving from South Sudan were reportedly turned back during this period. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/43b0fdba-bafc-466a-86f8-4bf6346702fc/DSC08853+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry The Kenyan immigration office at Nadapal, where asylum seekers would normally be registered and granted access to protection services. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/02c63aae-30b6-40c1-9f29-64b4bf374df8/DSC08855+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry A man stands at the immigration counter. During this period, asylum seekers were being instructed to enter Kenya on a paid visitor permit rather than register for asylum. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0ecd8b86-734f-4d3b-b27a-38c45ca7b660/DSC08869+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry Randa, a 24-year-old South Sudanese woman, waits near the border after being refused entry into Kenya. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/dc147fb2-40af-46ae-89ba-df288c0a0bd6/DSC08875+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry A close detail of Randa’s earring reading “Love” as she waits to cross into Kenya. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/065c77b4-3c61-4b9d-8d2d-919403b10e5b/DSC08879+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry A South Sudanese police officer stands near the border. Local authorities on both sides were involved in managing the flow of asylum seekers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a9fd8404-c841-4991-be3a-f4eb4e76282a/DSC08877+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry A police uniform bearing the South Sudan flag. Officials said they had been instructed to redirect asylum seekers under new conditions imposed at the border. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0e80163f-c28c-4e35-ba7e-9fadf34a932f/DSC08896+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry Temporary shelters and facilities near the border, where asylum seekers would normally be received, housed and given assistance. They remained empty. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0ff600ef-b82b-423d-aef1-654dddc65c13/DSC08910+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry A protection officer from the Lutheran World Federation stands outside the Nadapal reception centre. The facility, where asylum seekers are normally registered, housed and given initial assistance before transfer to Kakuma, remained largely empty during this period. The officer said unaccompanied minors had been turned back at the border and were attempting to cross through more dangerous routes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/fc591069-9afc-493f-8329-d4465913f495/DSC08898+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry A notice outlining provisions for asylum seekers is displayed inside a facility that remained largely empty during the restrictions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/1b1c9be9-279a-49e8-a05b-344eacbda944/DSC08935+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry Randa walks along the road near the border, uncertain how long she will remain stranded. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e2d76ed0-f8d0-4136-aafb-95f99e227a22/DSC08938+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e09b6c47-bda9-4752-8a4b-0d38275fc56a/DSC08939+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry Randa pauses as she waits for news on whether she will be allowed to enter Kenya and continue her journey to Kakuma refugee camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/903a7e97-f880-4ea6-ac57-545c98f046b1/DSC08959+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry Randa checks her phone while waiting. She was attempting to stay in contact with her family, who were expecting her in Kakuma. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7d4499ce-7534-4df9-a879-01b136f483ed/DSC08942+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry Randa approaches the Immigration Services office on the Kenyan side of the Nadapal border after intervention from officials who pressed for her case to be reconsidered, allowing her to proceed with her asylum claim. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ad712524-a3e4-4528-b035-7b2901c34b16/DSC08944+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry Randa is interviewed inside the Immigration Services office on the Kenyan side of the Nadapal border as officials review her case before allowing her to proceed with her asylum claim. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/16e0be78-422d-452b-abae-fee279bb8db4/DSC08952+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry Randa holds her stamped asylum seeker documents and Kenyan entry permit after being granted access at the Nadapal border. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c2250760-5de2-45d7-9730-b8690740da4d/DSC08930+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry A suitcase lies on the ground beside Randa. With limited resources, many asylum seekers arrived at the border with only what they could carry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/1747b95b-4d76-437d-8bed-f33a9a73ab66/DSC08928+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry Randa stands beside a UNHCR vehicle that will transport her to Kakuma refugee camp after being granted entry into Kenya - a two-hour drive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/43a6f47a-0f99-4e87-a92e-59e181eeceb2/DSC08968+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry A view of Kakuma 3, an extension of Kakuma refugee camp in Turkana County, Kenya, where Randa will be reunited with her family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/67206ea3-a58b-431f-8c83-4ba80dabbf6a/DSC08955+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry Randa texts her mother after arriving at Kakuma reception centre, using phone credit provided on arrival to let her know she had made it safely. She had been separated from her family by the South Sudan civil war in 2013, while her mother and siblings sought asylum in Kakuma in 2014. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/67bff90a-a3b6-4aef-a617-c69dae10197a/DSC08961+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Denied Entry Randa walks through the gates of the Kakuma reception centre in Turkana County, Kenya, after completing registration and initial processing as an asylum seeker. Newly arrived refugees receive basic services at the centre before being allocated within the camp. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/the-wounded-earth-farming-yemens-mined-land monthly 0.5 2026-05-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/15cf76e3-fb82-41ab-8d8a-975011bb7ad6/0I2A2392+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Wounded Earth: Farming Yemen’s mined land In Al Remah, farmers harvest what they can from safe ground. Their fields border areas still awaiting clearance, making each day’s work an act of caution. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/72f553a2-ec94-4627-b6a2-ed7755c1b3f1/0I2A2360.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Wounded Earth: Farming Yemen’s mined land Amar Mohamed Abdu walks along the boundary of his farmland. Some areas have been cleared, while others remain overgrown and inaccessible, making survey and removal difficult. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7b0f3ba9-46d5-4b39-a748-026fc4905422/0I2A2210.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Wounded Earth: Farming Yemen’s mined land Portrait of Amar Mohamed Abdu, a father of five who returned to his farmland after displacement to find it contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance. Clearance has allowed him to resume planting on part of his land. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/80464a09-2b0c-4639-a169-c101ca7b103d/0I2A2347.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Wounded Earth: Farming Yemen’s mined land Amar points to a mound where mines were recently found and cleared. He continues to discover contamination on his land as clearance progresses. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/58653fc8-2476-4b3a-a92f-a052aea64080/0I2A2228.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Wounded Earth: Farming Yemen’s mined land Amar works a cleared section of his field. With only part of his land safe to use, pressure on these areas is high. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/3b1c2905-182f-4997-9854-787619b092f5/0I2A2211.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Wounded Earth: Farming Yemen’s mined land Amar sits with his hands clasped. Much of his land remains unsafe, limiting how much he can farm and support his family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a6edb180-7bda-4ae6-9d24-d8e0d206e685/0I2A2384+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Wounded Earth: Farming Yemen’s mined land Amar’s son stands on the family’s land. Children grow up alongside fields where clearance is still ongoing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/9ed7eeaa-4339-49a1-9f53-74e875bce531/0I2A2300.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Wounded Earth: Farming Yemen’s mined land Livestock return to graze near areas recently declared safe. Beyond the cleared zone, vegetation and contamination have overtaken once-cultivated land. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/db2e1129-41cf-4faa-b014-e064f1593ec1/0I2A2358.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Wounded Earth: Farming Yemen’s mined land A view of farmland in Al Remah, near Mokha. Parts of the land remain too overgrown to be safely surveyed, leaving sections unusable. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c76b07bd-7912-48e3-91d4-8f48b9023b9c/0I2A2285.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Wounded Earth: Farming Yemen’s mined land A simple pipe system collects and channels water for household use in Amar's enclosed courtyard. In Al Remah, access to water depends on what land can be safely reached. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/191221d7-d08e-4641-825a-7c05469c4c0d/0I2A2245.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Wounded Earth: Farming Yemen’s mined land A child, Amar's daughter, stands at the entrance of the family home. Daily life resumes cautiously in areas once contaminated. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/3087ee40-0ae2-4535-af72-c60a9c3acc48/0I2A2265.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Wounded Earth: Farming Yemen’s mined land Amar stands with his children at the doorway of their home. Clearance has allowed the family to return and rebuild, though nearby land remains out of reach. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/8c1b7ace-fc08-4243-9f9a-219d54519ff5/0I2A2280.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Wounded Earth: Farming Yemen’s mined land Amar's house in Al Remah, patched with tin sheeting, bears the marks of years of conflict. Families returned only after deminers confirmed their homes were safe. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/775f558a-6981-4bfd-a699-a686b8379d6d/0I2A2267.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Wounded Earth: Farming Yemen’s mined land A child rests inside the family home. Ammunition crates repurposed beneath the bed remain a quiet trace of the conflict that once displaced the family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a25339bb-8a31-4faf-8260-3792c4f3f19c/0I2A2357+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Wounded Earth: Farming Yemen’s mined land New shoots emerge in soil once too dangerous to farm. Clearance allows planting to resume, but only in areas declared safe. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e649710f-ce68-4509-bf2d-a92c2fcc7b57/0I2A2372+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Wounded Earth: Farming Yemen’s mined land Amar inspects a patch of healthy maize, one of the few safe areas he can farm. With much of his land still contaminated, pressure on cleared ground is high. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e108d3aa-c21d-435a-a320-263e4c2d5b18/0I2A2388+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Wounded Earth: Farming Yemen’s mined land https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/project-two-ky966-a6bwe monthly 0.5 2026-06-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/fadc685d-a156-4e9f-adbf-ce63b1b3311d/0I2A2403.JPG Photography Portfolio - Close to Home A warning sign marking a hazardous area in Al Remah, near Mocha, Taiz governorate, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a20b5a60-15a6-4f4a-9fb6-63d06ee0a367/0I2A2468.JPG Photography Portfolio - Close to Home A security guard stands near a demining site in Al Remah, near Mocha, Taiz governorate, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/bec6e3cb-6a25-46eb-816e-7d628fae46a3/0I2A2395.JPG Photography Portfolio - Close to Home Men travel along a track while deminers work in the background in Al Remah, near Mocha, Taiz governorate, Yemen, where civilian movement and clearance activity often overlap. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/1ed6c3a5-eafc-41fd-b692-a0626f65d077/0I2A2496+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Close to Home A farmer leads oxen along a track near a demining site in Al Remah, near Mocha, Taiz governorate, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/02cd8f72-84d0-4908-9792-19e83e12e087/0I2A2527.JPG Photography Portfolio - Close to Home Deminers from Team 21 speak with local residents in Al Remah, near Mocha, Taiz governorate, Yemen. Conversations like these form part of informal Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE), where information about suspected hazards and recent incidents is shared. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/18ed71d6-40f7-4a1c-a5b0-337cff713525/0I2A2464.JPG Photography Portfolio - Close to Home A child sits near a deminer resting beside a marked area in Al Remah, near Mocha, Taiz governorate, Yemen. Clearance work often takes place in close proximity to daily life, where informal exchanges contribute to awareness of potential risks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/de8c9bcc-6c20-4553-85b1-f44ed1c8b424/0I2A2501.JPG Photography Portfolio - Close to Home A child stands near a deminer at a marked site in Al Remah, near Mocha, Taiz governorate, Yemen. Children frequently encounter demining activity as part of their everyday environment. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/34eafece-ff15-4629-ba36-9a57bc696d05/0I2A2432.JPG Photography Portfolio - Close to Home Members of Team 21 pose with their equipment in Al Remah below a drone, near Mocha, Taiz governorate, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/4da34ebc-9eae-4bba-9593-e412e1fe7c0b/0I2A2503.JPG Photography Portfolio - Close to Home Abdullah Mohamed Shafel, team leader of Team 21, in Al Remah, near Mocha, Taiz governorate, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/bfda2763-b57f-4c78-951f-ed3d87abe6ca/0I2A2506.JPG Photography Portfolio - Close to Home Detail of a deminer’s hands and protective equipment in Al Remah, near Mocha, Taiz governorate, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b267db9d-a4bb-4d49-9c3c-48623ed4ddba/0I2A2415.JPG Photography Portfolio - Close to Home Deminers from Team 21 check their equipment before beginning clearance operations in designated safe lanes in Al Remah, near Mocha, Taiz governorate, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/fe46e216-843d-4342-956c-9c9bc916a02d/0I2A2184.JPG Photography Portfolio - Close to Home Deminers walk towards the start of designated safe lanes in Al Remah, near Mocha, Taiz governorate, Yemen. Clearance operations are often guided by reports from local residents and prior incidents in the area. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/6d2a26bf-b8da-43fb-91db-226dcb12b60b/0I2A2188.JPG Photography Portfolio - Close to Home A deminer uses a metal detector to scan the ground during clearance operations in Al Remah, near Mocha, Taiz governorate, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/99aa0b67-ff3a-4b9b-9d7d-e03cf8d451d1/0I2A2474.JPG Photography Portfolio - Close to Home A painted stone marks a cleared or hazardous area in Al Remah, near Mocha, Taiz governorate, Yemen. Red for Danger, white for Safe. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/3a3d3038-0a73-45e7-af5e-8a0972329a45/0I2A2417.JPG Photography Portfolio - Close to Home Collected metal fragments and debris are placed in a designated pit away from the clearance area in Al Remah, near Mocha, Taiz governorate, Yemen, to prevent detectors from responding to non-hazardous metal during operations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/fa5cf85f-b9bd-447a-8208-20f9db5cea2a/0I2A2193.JPG Photography Portfolio - Close to Home A deminer from Team 21 smiles after returning to the Control Point at the end of a shift in Al Remah, near Mocha, Taiz governorate, Yemen. Protective equipment is only removed once deminers exit the clearance lane. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/call-of-duty monthly 0.5 2026-06-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/15cd0ad0-d3f0-4f95-83bf-6148c2b5bec9/0I2A2770.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home Deminers and local residents walk toward a hazardous coastal area north of Al Khokha, near Yemen’s frontline with Houthi forces. The western coastline remains among the country’s most heavily contaminated regions after years of conflict. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e7e05859-602d-46df-a9ff-01d27a24d1c4/0I2A2659.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home Members of the local community and a security guard stand along the shoreline near a mine clearance site north of Al Khokha. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ac2689e2-764a-4e1d-9010-d1e4b4bce4b5/0I2A2574.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home An armed security guard assigned to protect Team 26 stands watch near the minefield. Clearance teams working close to frontline areas often travel and work with armed escorts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ae2490c4-b6d4-4994-a2a0-d1af069c56a4/0I2A3153.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home Security guards rest inside the family home after returning from the field. Weapons remain a constant presence, even within domestic spaces close to the frontlines. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/904ce810-3403-4bb4-a6bf-034921df2335/0I2A3184.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home Saeed Omar Haimed was the first deminer in his family and a hero to his sons who decided to follow in his footsteps once the war broke in Yemen in 2015. Here with granddaughter Shmock. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/93caac85-f5a9-4bb5-9d01-ec813efe7f30/0I2A2828.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home Mohamed Saeed Haimed, a former deminer injured in a landmine accident, sits inside his family home north of Al Khokha. His older brother Sami now works in mine clearance alongside other members of the family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/3845f49c-da49-4eb3-9f9e-05bb40af1776/0I2A2890.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home Scars from Mohammed’s landmine injury are visible beside his prosthetic leg. Several members of the family have worked in demining along Yemen’s western coast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/5a00537c-103f-42db-b884-6aa5b7767f46/0I2A3036.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home Mohammed Saeed Haimed is one of three brothers who left school to join Yemen’s demining effort, working along the country’s heavily contaminated western frontline. After losing his leg in a landmine accident, he now remains at home while his older brother Sami continues clearance work nearby. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/9423dbdc-985d-4508-a4e8-27e4ef346b1f/0I2A2859.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home Sami’s young nephew lingers quietly in the doorway while the men inside discuss the war nearby. The adults repeatedly sent him away to play, trying to shield the children from conversations shaped by conflict and frontline life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/4acf6b80-a5a0-4ea2-afcc-cc71c8d4d0bb/6272AA8B-41E8-466E-9C7D-BF9F89C0C62D_1_105_c.jpeg Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home Residents gather outside their homes in a village north of Al Khokha, near heavily contaminated frontline areas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/5b1f279b-cbac-44dd-a054-36cde9fc7df5/img-9701_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home The children’s grandfather Saeed Omar Haimed hands out ice cream outside the family home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/42fba695-07cc-4d07-8c47-9358b69b1c4e/0I2A2997+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home Sami’s nephew, and young son Azan sit on a motorbike outside the house while adults gather nearby. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c11ba75a-e3d1-4bb1-8150-37f80c04bb51/0I2A2952.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home One of Sami’s young relatives, a niece, stands outside the family home holding an ice lolly as children move between neighbouring houses and the street. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/3a4485bb-5d28-4399-a879-9cf89103de1a/0I2A3108.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home Mohammed and his father Saeed sit inside a traditional gathering space beside the family home. Since his injury, Mohammed spends much of his time there with relatives and neighbours. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ee668404-7dae-4bbd-a161-0e24858ebed1/0I2A3128.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home Mohammed’s prosthetic leg rests beside little Shmock seated next to him inside the family gathering area. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/08cd0022-ee87-4144-b683-e8d44fc8d61f/0I2A3147.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home A security guard speaks with children inside the family home while waiting for Sami to return from work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/72b7efba-91d9-44b7-9ce6-9751707b2d82/0I2A2822.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home Sami Haimed, Team Leader of Team 26, pauses during a mandatory rest period near a mine clearance site north of Al Khokha. As team leader, Sami is responsible for the safety and coordination of his deminers, overseeing clearance procedures, equipment checks, reporting, and emergency protocols while working in one of Yemen’s most heavily contaminated frontline regions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d6cf9dfa-6f70-400d-822d-f259bcd28d06/Screen+Shot+2026-05-07+at+14.43.33.png Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home Sami helps another team member adjust protective equipment before entering the minefield. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/847cbe0a-09a3-4c53-a90b-7da14ef1bc07/masam26_orig.png Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home A mine detector sweeps across contaminated ground near the western Yemeni coastline. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/726ad082-bf35-4377-a006-0b5ba406ed09/0I2A3137.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home Sami returns home wearing a traditional handwoven straw hat after a day working in mine clearance. Armed guards assigned to the team relax alongside children inside the house. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/9adf0485-d155-4a09-b96e-91a4d93b33f2/0I2A3178.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home Sami sits with his children after returning home from work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d1d66d0e-d0b6-4479-9ffd-b228b23ad98c/0I2A2931.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home After showering and changing clothes, Sami relaxes at home with his family following a day in the minefield. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/13726bd7-2abe-4a51-be1f-b7449a521747/0i2a3190-2_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home Saeed, Mohammed, Sami and his son, and brother Ousama gather together inside the home at the end of the day. Three generations of men in the family have worked in mine clearance along Yemen’s western coast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e055cfe5-8144-4747-b3fd-44f469133a48/0I2A2944.JPG Photography Portfolio - What the Men Bring Home After returning from the minefield and changing clothes, Sami Haimed discusses the day’s clearance work with his older brother Mohammed, a former deminer who lost his leg in a landmine accident. Mohammed’s prosthetic leg and crutch rest between them as the brothers speak in the technical language of mine clearance shaped by years of shared experience. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/shifting-sands-yemen monthly 0.5 2026-06-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d1d39149-7553-493b-a925-bd4281ab14e8/Screen+Shot+2026-05-08+at+20.56.51+2.jpeg Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Fishermen walk along Yemen’s Red Sea coast carrying nets and equipment near Al Khokha, where communities already living with landmines and naval mines faced renewed fear during escalating Red Sea tensions and Houthi attacks in 2024. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/43cd12b7-efbf-400b-a805-7553ddd431d9/IMG_9213+2.jpg Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Fishermen walk along Yemen’s Red Sea coast carrying nets and equipment near Al Khokha, where communities already living with landmines and naval mines faced renewed fear during escalating Red Sea tensions and Houthi attacks in 2024. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/66392b8c-9689-4b1c-8c76-0399e3e655ee/IMG_9290+2.jpg Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands A deminer from Project Masam’s Team 26, Leader Sami Saeed haimed, works along Yemen’s western coastline, where shifting sands, scrubland and coastal erosion make detecting and removing mines especially dangerous. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/3b6b0441-5b59-4a10-9d35-45e1c2732a42/IMG_9326+2.jpg Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Some fishermen along Yemen’s west coast have turned to trapping and training falcons after mines and insecurity devastated the local fishing economy. The birds can later be sold to buyers in Gulf countries. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e278414f-ebb3-4370-a026-6dfcaa23a69e/IMG_9353+2.jpg Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Fishermen stand along the shoreline in Al Khokha, where naval mines, water-borne explosive devices and years of conflict have transformed once-active fishing grounds into dangerous territory. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/522ed6bc-f864-4e4b-bba3-732c646d7dd3/0I2A2612+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Fouad Ali Abdullah Dubalah, General Secretary of the Al Mostaqbal Fishery Association, says thousands of fishermen and their families have been affected by mines and insecurity along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. Al Khokha, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b5ccf05c-5bdc-4a47-90d3-43b1c266a363/0I2A2651+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Mohamed Essa, a father of seven who has worked as a fisherman for more than 40 years, says fear has spread among fishing communities after repeated naval mine incidents along Yemen’s west coast. Al Khokha, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0eb54bf6-7a43-4c4a-b0e3-7cbc152fa93a/0I2A2660+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Abdullah Omar Mohamed, a fisherman from Al Khokha, Yemen. Abdullah says fear spread among fishing communities after his father was killed in a naval mine incident along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/184c70bf-d7f8-4931-bb91-264ac1152cfe/0I2A2663+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Project Masam’s Team 26 shares information with local fishermen and community representatives about mine sightings, unsafe coastal areas and recent incidents along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. Al Khokha, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/edf16f2e-0af9-4866-ac31-d1c289a38618/0I2A2713+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Small wooden fishing boats line the coast near Al Khokha. Many fishermen continue using traditional vessels with no equipment capable of detecting naval mines or water-borne explosive devices. Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/af8e5e1a-bcec-4bd9-ab1d-d31f5d680f62/0I2A2722+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Fishermen bring a wooden boat ashore in Al Khokha. Many now remain close to the coastline because of fears over naval mines and water-borne explosive devices in deeper waters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/227957da-9834-486a-8784-42696aa35968/0I2A2729+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Fouad Ali Abdullah Dubalah, General Secretary of the Al Mostaqbal Fishery Association, speaks with fishermen along the shoreline in Al Khokha, where communities rely on constant information-sharing to avoid mined areas and dangerous waters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ed5eb721-92c3-4b3f-a4c4-b527c125a7eb/0I2A2740+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands A small catch rests inside a wooden fishing boat in Al Khokha, Yemen. The 800 members of the Al Mostaqbal Fishery Association say their annual catch has fallen from around 150 tonnes of fish per year to less than 20 tonnes as mines, insecurity and Red Sea tensions continue to devastate fishing livelihoods. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/4f7ece58-8716-4714-9fcc-ee3559d0f6a7/0I2A2751+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Local fishermen still head to sea in small wooden boats, as generations before them did, with no modern equipment to detect the naval mines and explosive devices that threaten their lives and livelihoods. Al Khokha, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/3508a359-542d-4e99-a7c9-0a58276e2dbb/0I2A2759+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Fisherman Abdullah Omar Mohamed and a friend (also fisherman) say fear spread through their community. Al Khokha, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c6d09292-16ea-467c-84d1-8d8568f87561/0I2A2764+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Fishermen gather along Yemen’s Red Sea coast near Al Khokha, where communities say landmines and naval mines have displaced families and devastated traditional fishing livelihoods. Along the coastline from Moshaj to Qatabah, more than 1,500 mine-related incidents have been recorded since the conflict escalated. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/07d6f29c-878e-4d13-a3f4-6f4874461d05/0I2A2779+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Fouad Ali Abdullah Dubalah, General Secretary of the Al Mostaqbal Fishery Association, checks updates while speaking with fishermen about recent security concerns and mine incidents along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/1b366890-210d-4d6d-80a9-e1aee98c5aaa/0I2A2824+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Most naval mines remain hidden beneath the water’s surface and can become entangled in fishing nets, forcing fishermen to work under constant threat. Al Khokha, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c18737b8-2e93-4c25-b9de-ebaa2a5e4140/0I2A2777+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands A teenager stands beside a motorcycle used by fishermen travelling between isolated coastal communities along Yemen’s west coast, where many families have been displaced by mines and conflict. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/1a5bc9d9-d944-4a0e-a708-487536c282b8/0I2A2792+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands For fishermen impacted by mines and unexploded ordnance, insecurity along Yemen’s west coast has displaced families and pushed some communities from the Red Sea shoreline toward safer areas inland and along the Arabian Sea coast. Al Khokha, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/783a5b5b-657f-4e04-b96d-d979b2644a71/IMG_9219.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Project Masam’s Team 26 moves through heavily contaminated coastal terrain near Al Khokha, where shifting sand dunes and scrubland complicate mine clearance operations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/59c83f77-de20-4aba-8f76-1a96f2b1e0c9/IMG_9226.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands A deminer from Project Masam’s Team 26 searches for explosive devices along Yemen’s western coastline, where mines remain buried beneath sand and coastal vegetation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/50641ecb-c40f-4c7f-910f-a7d7a7cce790/IMG_9254.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Demining Yemen’s west coast is especially difficult because shifting sand and coastal scrub can conceal explosive devices and expose new hazards over time. Al Khokha, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/39ca4263-5c8b-4732-b4a8-c92a2a9813cd/IMG_9339.JPG Photography Portfolio - Shifting Sands Fishermen transport falcons along Yemen’s west coast after turning to trapping and trading birds as an alternative source of income amid collapsing fish stocks, mine contamination and insecurity along the Red Sea shoreline. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/lessons-among-landmines-taiz-yemen monthly 0.5 2026-05-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c1f4619e-67dd-4f85-aec0-7154f4ae7cbb/0I2A4311+2.jpg Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines Abdulghani al-Haidari, director of Ibrahim Aqeel School, sits on the rooftop beside students during exam sessions at the school in Taiz, Yemen. After classrooms and administrative buildings were damaged following the discovery of landmines and improvised explosive devices stored at the school during the Houthi occupation of parts of the city, students now take exams on the rooftop because there is not enough classroom space available. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/44d3b55b-afd4-406a-81e8-38fc12c78125/0I2A4141.JPG Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz, Yemen, partially destroyed after landmines and improvised explosive devices stored there during the war exploded. According to Project Masam, Houthi forces used parts of the school as a storage depot while occupying areas of the city. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b78c5074-1d18-4a37-a570-be17439ced69/0I2A0806.jpg Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines Students gather outside damaged classrooms at Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz, Yemen. Parts of the school were destroyed after Houthi forces used the site to store landmines and improvised explosive devices during the conflict. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/5d732dcf-11e1-4832-b160-fa91879000e8/0I2A4246.jpg Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines Children play football in the yard of Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz, Yemen, as school life continues despite years of conflict and damage to the campus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/64f4e102-21a0-4616-99fe-66f1b235f82a/0I2A4223.jpg Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines Female students sit on the rooftop of Ibrahim Aqeel School during exam sessions in Taiz, Yemen. With several classrooms destroyed or unusable, students have been forced to study and take exams in open-air spaces. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/4c68be72-bb8c-41e6-a290-5e44eaeb729d/0I2A4202.JPG Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines Students take exams on the rooftop of Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz, Yemen, after damage to the school left insufficient classroom space for pupils. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/353c2e18-268a-4657-a3b2-ecc426a25f66/IMG_2553+2.jpg Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines A soldier stands beside a damaged section of Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz, Yemen, where warning posters about landmines and improvised explosive devices are displayed on the walls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0222f056-dddc-42ea-bb74-ea1d750c4cec/IMG_2462+2.jpg Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines A warning poster showing different types of landmines and improvised explosive devices is displayed on a wall inside Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ae1c7dcf-64a6-48be-b317-29202a31cecd/IMG_2424+2.jpg Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines A student carries schoolbooks across the grounds of Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz. Many children at the school lost years of education because of conflict, displacement, and landmine contamination. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/8b0c6143-b799-4ea8-ad11-e5ec9a82ce9c/IMG_2357+2.jpg Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines A deminer works near the damaged remains of Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz. Across the governorate, dozens of schools were mined or damaged during the conflict, according to Project Masam and local rights groups. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/422663db-0738-4edd-8ee3-b53d6f2828c9/0I2A0796+2.jpg Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines A school building bearing blast and artillery damage remains in use at Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz, Yemen. Classrooms and administrative buildings at the school were previously used to store landmines and improvised explosive devices during the Houthi occupation of parts of the city. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/637d2e48-77e3-45c2-8221-85c35be85860/IMG_1978.jpg Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines Abdulghani al-Haidari, director of Ibrahim Aqeel School, sits among the rubble of the damaged campus in Taiz - including the administrative building. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/fa67448a-4082-4e28-a70e-a09323d342df/IMG_2673.JPG Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines Children sit near an armed guard in the Ibrahim Aqeel School courtyard in Taiz. The school continues operating amid the long-term effects of conflict and landmine contamination in the area. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a80c794f-931b-4640-96dd-626e89b24006/IMG_2651.jpg Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines A student wearing a green prefect’s scarf walks through a damaged stairwell at Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz. Parts of the school were destroyed after landmines and improvised explosive devices stored there during the war exploded, leaving students to navigate damaged classrooms and corridors each day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/fbb7d171-00ed-4853-9b0c-46a6982928c5/IMG_2472.JPG Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines Students line up in the courtyard of Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz, Yemen, during morning roll call and physical exercises before the start of the school day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/287e0734-134f-4b8c-8f43-f999febc2239/IMG_2397.JPG Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines A child walks past a wall marked “TP5” inside Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz, Yemen. In humanitarian mine action, “TP” refers to a “Turning Point,” a surveyed marker used to indicate a change in the boundary of a suspected or confirmed hazardous area during landmine clearance operations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/68af6576-e3aa-4af4-88d8-cbbad84d5266/0I2A4399.JPG Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines A teacher conducts a lesson inside Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz, where students and staff continue classes despite extensive damage to parts of the campus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/76b029e0-2a83-4c97-93d5-96b0e5265118/0I2A4427.JPG Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines Mariam Fouad, 13, inside a classroom at Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz. She now studies in eighth grade after missing years of education because of the war and landmine contamination. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d451324a-40c0-4d6b-aa08-0d6c49419f64/IMG_1971.jpg Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines A teacher stands inside a classroom at Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz, Yemen, as a student looks up during lessons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/583bb50d-64a6-40fa-8fc6-52f44fa730f1/0I2A4196-1.jpg Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines Female students secretly speak during rooftop exam sessions at Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz, Yemen, where students continue studying in improvised spaces after classrooms were damaged during the conflict. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7a31d663-b4cb-4109-bfdf-b3f89c548f90/0I2A4373.JPG Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines Abdulghani al-Haidari, director of Ibrahim Aqeel School stands inside a darkened classroom at Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz. Several parts of the school remain damaged or unusable after the explosion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b3b253da-92df-4810-82f6-79a1b50eaad5/0I2A4238.JPG Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines A teacher carries exam papers after collecting them from students during rooftop exam sessions at Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/f5301250-2a5c-4248-8a7b-d89a368880a1/0I2A4170.JPG Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines Students sit on the rooftop of Ibrahim Aqeel School overlooking damaged sections of the campus in Taiz, where classrooms were destroyed in an explosion linked to landmines and improvised explosive devices stored at the site during the war. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/2918c1ed-6248-49cb-9456-e3fb6fce0553/0I2A0836.JPG Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines A woman and her children walk toward Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz, where students continue attending classes despite extensive war damage to the campus and the continuous presence of landmines in the vicinity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c3312316-aa83-4003-b88b-58daef8850e9/0I2A4383.JPG Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines Students attend class inside Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz after the school partially reopened following damage caused by an explosion involving stored landmines and IEDs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e102c96b-ac80-4400-8a77-21ac84059ffe/0I2A4261.jpg Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines Students gather inside a heavily damaged section of Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz, Yemen, where buildings were left partially destroyed after landmines and improvised explosive devices stored at the school exploded during the conflict. In the background, deminers work near the school grounds under umbrellas protecting them from the heat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/543aee97-0aec-41f1-9be8-7d69fe136ca2/IMG_2439.jpg Photography Portfolio - Lessons Among Landmines Students loiter outside damaged classrooms at Ibrahim Aqeel School in Taiz while waiting for lessons. The school continues operating despite the loss of multiple classrooms in the explosion. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/the-country-on-their-skin-burundi-rwanda monthly 0.5 2026-05-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d191fa93-fcf5-4610-8d44-cf6297a85205/Screen+Shot+2026-05-13+at+14.58.47.jpeg Photography Portfolio - The Country on Their Skin Burundian refugees gather outside the house they shared in Kigali, Rwanda. After fleeing political violence in Burundi following President Pierre Nkurunziza’s controversial third-term bid in 2015, the compound became both a refuge and a social space where residents spent evenings talking, making music and debating politics. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7515cc40-3774-4c35-806c-1338c0ab5f24/Screen+Shot+2026-05-13+at+14.51.06.jpeg Photography Portfolio - The Country on Their Skin A young Burundian refugee, Tresor Niyingabo, prepares beans outside the Kigali compound where activists, former protesters and artists lived together in exile. Daily routines such as cooking and cleaning were shared collectively among residents as they rebuilt their lives in Rwanda. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7918cbb5-a75b-4357-a1bf-e1d095b135ec/2W1A2231+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Country on Their Skin Two young Burundian refugees, father Bertrand Ninteretse and godfather Venuste Maronko play with nine-month old Shikiro inside the Kigali house where several exiled activists and former protesters lived together after fleeing Burundi in 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/2c30efe8-77be-48f2-93cb-030379bfe650/2W1A1563+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Country on Their Skin Burundian refugees gather outside the house they shared in Kigali, Rwanda, after fleeing political violence in Burundi following President Pierre Nkurunziza’s controversial third-term bid in 2015. The photograph was self-shot by Elsa Buchanan while spending time with residents inside the compound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ed374977-16da-4633-bf3d-6414ff8819d6/2W1A1562+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Country on Their Skin The gated entrance to the house in Kigali, Rwanda, shared by 14 Burundian refugees, activists and former protesters who fled political violence following Burundi’s 2015 crisis. Because Burundian security services and informants were believed to operate inside Rwanda, residents lived cautiously, sometimes organising informal security outside the compound, which functioned as both a refuge and a safe house in exile. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/dc1b0645-12a1-482e-b6b2-4249f50e0c81/IMG_8080.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Country on Their Skin Justin Girukwigomba, a former student from Bujumbura, stands inside the Kigali compound where Burundian refugees, activists and former protesters lived together in exile after fleeing Burundi’s 2015 political crisis. After witnessing the killing of his friend, 15-year-old Jean-Nepo Komezamahoro, during anti-government protests, Justin fled Burundi intending to join an armed rebel movement, before being persuaded by his older brother Tresor Niyingabo and activist Pamela Kazekare to abandon the armed struggle and remain in Kigali. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/85785bf6-90c4-43ab-b4ec-5a9f8802cec5/IMG_3757.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Country on Their Skin A traditional mancala board game inside the Kigali house. Residents often spent hours playing together while discussing politics, music and the future of Burundi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d40bbb36-e41d-41ee-baa6-33e15bacc0aa/IMG_0696.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Country on Their Skin Residents read, study and discuss politics inside the Kigali compound where 14 Burundian refugees lived together in exile after fleeing Burundi’s 2015 political crisis. Unable to legally work in Rwanda, many spent long days inside the house waiting for news from home — some turning to music, photography, reading or political debate, while others struggled with isolation, uncertainty and depression. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a6085411-e080-477b-abc0-660d8fb005f6/Screen+Shot+2026-05-13+at+11.58.18.jpeg Photography Portfolio - The Country on Their Skin Justin Girukwigomba chooses clothes at daybreak inside the room he shared with other Burundian refugees in Kigali, Rwanda. Silhouettes of other residents remain asleep beneath blankets in the crowded room. Living with only a few personal possessions, many of the young exiles spent long periods confined to the house, unable to legally work in Rwanda after fleeing Burundi’s 2015 political crisis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a1c109cc-781a-41c0-b6ae-7e6e9bc4b7c6/2W1A2551.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Country on Their Skin Young Burundian refugees gather outside the house in Kigali where many former protesters, students and activists found refuge after fleeing Burundi in 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/9c77aee3-4d78-49db-925b-166d4a8cfce6/2W1A2438.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Country on Their Skin Burundian refugees, artists and activists gather during a #StandForBurundi spoken word and music event held at Pili-Pili Lounge in Kigali, Rwanda, on December 30, 2015. Organised by Spoken Word Rwanda, the evening raised funds for Burundian refugees living in Mahama refugee camp in eastern Rwanda. Bringing together Rwandans, Burundians and members of Kigali’s wider artistic community, the event became both a space of solidarity and a temporary “home away from home” for young exiles living through Burundi’s political crisis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/909768d3-6550-45bc-bc95-d837394b43c1/2W1A2362.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Country on Their Skin Bertrand Ninteretse, a Burundian refugee artist who performs under the name Kaya Free, sings during the #StandForBurundi spoken word and music event in Kigali, Rwanda. Written especially for the evening, his song reflected on displacement, separation from family, longing for home and the determination among many young exiles to continue fighting for Burundi’s future through art, culture and political engagement rather than armed struggle, while hoping one day to return to Bujumbura. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/78c5ff21-4c3f-4795-a59a-06819b1e539c/2W1A2217.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Country on Their Skin A tattoo referencing Burundi is seen on the back of Burundian activist Pamela Kazekare in Kigali, Rwanda. For many young Burundian refugees living in exile after the country’s 2015 political crisis, tattoos became expressions of identity, memory and attachment to a homeland they feared they might never safely return to. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/f3cce46c-fb10-4b39-a89b-b1e0c1131fda/2W1A2193.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Country on Their Skin Tresor Niyingabo carefully protects his freshly made tattoo from baby Shikiro inside the Kigali compound where Burundian refugees lived together in exile. Like several residents of the house, Tresor wore a tattoo referencing Burundi as an expression of identity, solidarity and attachment to the country he had fled during the 2015 political crisis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e964e8c8-6492-4fb2-bd85-da6378d35457/2W1A1727.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Country on Their Skin Venuste Maronko, a young Burundian filmmaker and artist who fled Bujumbura during Burundi’s 2015 political crisis, photographs life inside the Kigali compound using Elsa Buchanan’s second camera. Before fleeing into exile, Maronko had been studying cinema and the arts in Burundi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/318b6883-55b7-4c0e-b0a3-65ed9cfa2d9e/2W1A1491.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Country on Their Skin Venuste Maronko dances in the courtyard of the Kigali compound to Niko Sawa by popular Burundian artist Big Fizzo, played from a mobile phone. Music was a constant presence inside the house, where young Burundian refugees used dance, film, photography and conversation to cope with exile, uncertainty and separation from home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/2e32279b-4463-487d-a164-3c95ad668c42/IMG_3764.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Country on Their Skin Venuste Maronko prepares potatoes for lunch inside the Kigali compound where Burundian refugees shared cooking, cleaning and other daily responsibilities. Having fled Burundi before completing his studies in cinema and the arts, Maronko moved between moments of creative expression and the ordinary routines of communal life in exile. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e78290c7-9b9f-4c32-b96a-cc7072a8d520/2W1A1604.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Country on Their Skin Pamela Kazekare holds her daughter Shikiro inside the Kigali compound where Burundian refugees lived together in exile after fleeing Burundi’s 2015 political crisis. Having grown up during Burundi’s 1993–2003 civil war, Kazekare fled to Rwanda with Shikiro hidden in the boot of a taxi when her daughter was just 37 days old, after learning she had been placed on a government “wanted” list and feared she could be killed. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/the-women-teaching-yemen-to-live-with-landmines monthly 0.5 2026-05-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/086d6c8d-b49f-41c5-9b2b-753aee239c7d/0I2A0731.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Women Teaching Yemen to Live with Landmines Local sheikhs and education officials receive a briefing by Colonel Aref Al-Qahtani, Supervisor of Project Masam demining teams across Taiz Governorate, before an Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) session in western Taiz, Yemen. Community awareness sessions are conducted alongside clearance operations to help residents identify and avoid landmines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other remnants of war. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ede34e2b-65dc-4f6f-8fc8-03f9707371fe/0I2A0742.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Women Teaching Yemen to Live with Landmines Residents, local officials and demimers gather around Deon von Landsberg, Training Adviser and Training Officer at Project Masam, during a community awareness session in Sabr Almawadim, western Taiz, Yemen. Public awareness campaigns are a key component of humanitarian mine action efforts in areas heavily contaminated by landmines and explosive remnants of war. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7f740f56-2ea0-4013-815b-41aa4a84bf06/0I2A0774.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Women Teaching Yemen to Live with Landmines The local Director of Education (Taiz Governorate) stands near contaminated land on the outskirts of Taiz, Yemen. Former frontlines around the city remain heavily affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance, restricting movement and threatening nearby communities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a21fe0fe-8426-4039-a5b1-07117d7ef1c3/0I2A0780.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Women Teaching Yemen to Live with Landmines A damaged building stands near a former battleground in western Taiz, Yemen. Clearance teams prioritise roads, schools, homes and public areas affected by explosive contamination to allow displaced families and residents to return safely. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a2303376-1ee7-4cf3-9978-278be4e43312/0I2A0942.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Women Teaching Yemen to Live with Landmines A damaged building stands near a former battleground in western Taiz, Yemen. Clearance teams prioritise roads, schools, homes and public areas affected by explosive contamination to allow displaced families and residents to return safely. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/5b534807-d61e-49c2-8598-197919119aae/IMG_0087.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Women Teaching Yemen to Live with Landmines A damaged building stands near a former battleground in western Taiz, Yemen. Clearance teams prioritise roads, schools, homes and public areas affected by explosive contamination to allow displaced families and residents to return safely. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/2025739d-8772-41d7-815a-a3dba1ca5975/IMG_0104.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Women Teaching Yemen to Live with Landmines Women and children gather during an Explosive Ordnance Risk Education session in Sabr Almawadim, western Taiz, Yemen. Gender-sensitive awareness campaigns increasingly target mothers and children, who are among the civilians most vulnerable to explosive hazards in Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/9ca0c8c6-3f2a-4565-8632-48e6695713b7/IMG_0088.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Women Teaching Yemen to Live with Landmines A woman and young girl attend an Explosive Ordnance Risk Education session in western Taiz, Yemen. Women and children are disproportionately exposed to landmines and unexploded ordnance while carrying out daily responsibilities such as collecting water, gathering firewood and caring for livestock. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7d21041a-3694-4ddb-b1ef-80fe4f34fc47/IMG_0099.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Women Teaching Yemen to Live with Landmines A child watches a community Explosive Ordnance Risk Education session in western Taiz, Yemen. Awareness campaigns seek to help children recognise suspicious objects and understand the dangers posed by explosive remnants of war still scattered across former frontline communities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/bc64a921-16cd-4af6-b02d-ad2c87a4f0bb/IMG_0203.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Women Teaching Yemen to Live with Landmines Explosive Ordnance Risk Educators Sara Abdulwahab Baggash (foreground right) and Boshra Mohammed (centre) wait for transport after completing a community awareness session in Taiz, Yemen. The educators, who work with the Yemen Executive Mine Action Centre (YEMAC), conduct sessions aimed at helping women and children recognise and avoid explosive hazards. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/5bdef047-62b6-40d7-9f3e-17dde0b37d43/1-leqlzzixhik7jmydif9gng_orig.jpeg Photography Portfolio - The Women Teaching Yemen to Live with Landmines An older woman attends a community-based explosive ordnance risk education session in Taiz, Yemen. Years after frontline fighting moved away from the area, residents continue to live alongside landmines and explosive remnants of war, while women increasingly take on more visible public roles within community awareness and protection efforts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b0736be0-4bab-4893-8aa4-43ac575a57a5/IMG_0061.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Women Teaching Yemen to Live with Landmines A deminer clears contaminated terrain during operations in Taiz, Yemen - behind the location of the EORE session. Humanitarian clearance teams continue to work across mountainous and rural areas affected by landmines, improvised explosive devices and other explosive remnants of war. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/54fbab60-6b84-43f0-afa6-c972f473aacf/IMG_0130.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Women Teaching Yemen to Live with Landmines A local woman speaks to residents during an Explosive Ordnance Risk Education session in Taiz, Yemen, as children and community members listen nearby. Awareness campaigns encourage civilians to report suspicious objects and avoid touching unfamiliar items that may contain explosives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0ff7f15d-3f15-4658-8ebe-2d0fd5474f51/Screen+Shot+2026-05-14+at+11.29.58.jpeg Photography Portfolio - The Women Teaching Yemen to Live with Landmines A child stands beside a warning poster illustrating explosive threats during an Explosive Ordnance Risk Education session in western Taiz, Yemen. Educators warn that landmines and improvised explosive devices may be concealed inside everyday objects, including toys, containers and household items. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c746df73-4fe3-4de3-9a7d-f601f7639fab/Screen+Shot+2026-05-14+at+11.33.57.jpeg Photography Portfolio - The Women Teaching Yemen to Live with Landmines Boys listen during an Explosive Ordnance Risk Education session in western Taiz, Yemen. Educators say children are among the groups most at risk from landmines and unexploded ordnance, particularly in former frontline communities where explosive hazards remain embedded in everyday environments. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e3ab5192-c4bf-4163-8755-6922c1e89aa9/0I2A0963.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Women Teaching Yemen to Live with Landmines Boys listen during an Explosive Ordnance Risk Education session in western Taiz, Yemen. Educators say children are among the groups most at risk from landmines and unexploded ordnance, particularly in former frontline communities where explosive hazards remain embedded in everyday environments. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ea89b6f6-20b9-4576-95f4-0372201cafe3/Screen+Shot+2026-05-14+at+11.30.50.jpeg Photography Portfolio - The Women Teaching Yemen to Live with Landmines Women and children attend an Explosive Ordnance Risk Education session in Sabr Almawadim, western Taiz, Yemen. Humanitarian organisations and Yemeni educators say community-led and gender-sensitive awareness programmes have contributed to a reduction in landmine and explosive ordnance casualties across affected districts. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/relearning-the-body monthly 0.5 2026-05-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0bff28f7-7e79-4df0-9c1d-d4efebf9814c/0I2A1331.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Hospital Giving Hope to War Amputees A patient waits inside the Artificial Limbs and Rehabilitation Centre in Aden, Yemen. Around 88 percent of beneficiaries receiving treatment at the centre were injured during the conflict, most of them survivors of landmine accidents or unexploded ordnance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/47f1b4dd-0838-4b0f-b937-6d9b34feb1dd/0I2A1339.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Hospital Giving Hope to War Amputees A clinician speaks with a patient during a consultation session at the rehabilitation centre in Aden. Depending on the case, patients are often treated for between one and three months before staff determine the correct prosthetic fit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/58708407-283c-4b57-9a33-57ac75cdf99d/0I2A1347.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Hospital Giving Hope to War Amputees A physiotherapist demonstrates the balance and movement exercises used with patients newly fitted with prosthetic limbs at the rehabilitation centre in Aden. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0768a8b7-fee7-4872-9a77-2e80f65132d0/0I2A1350.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Hospital Giving Hope to War Amputees Dr Entesar, 50, who heads women’s services at the Artificial Limbs and Rehabilitation Centre in Aden, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ae7b023e-13e0-49b5-8e67-ba8de5efc7ed/0I2A1360.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Hospital Giving Hope to War Amputees Technicians shape prosthetic moulds inside the workshop where artificial limbs are fabricated largely by hand at the rehabilitation centre in Aden. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d8738b4b-8f54-4d87-8ced-9ff82aee5a14/0i2a1371_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Hospital Giving Hope to War Amputees Measurement diagrams, moulds and prosthetic components inside the workshop used to produce customised artificial limbs for patients at the centre. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a96a7c78-7b6b-4456-9529-73fe8b549107/screen-shot-2024-01-09-at-11-16-09_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Hospital Giving Hope to War Amputees A technician sands and shapes a prosthetic socket during the fabrication process at the Artificial Limbs Centre in Aden. Once measurements are completed, staff require between five and nine working days to produce a tailor-made artificial limb. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/065a4a8b-7ff3-4b56-b951-355900a2c573/0I2A1376.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Hospital Giving Hope to War Amputees A technician waits beside a heating unit used to harden plastic prosthetic components inside the workshop at the rehabilitation centre in Aden, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/5b550766-5846-4a76-b616-4b3ba87cdbba/0I2A1367.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Hospital Giving Hope to War Amputees Technicians fabricate prosthetic limbs inside the rehabilitation workshop in Aden. The centre produces around 500 artificial limbs each year and carries out maintenance on another 400. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/fb15a47e-0cac-441a-a0c3-6c6e1475d0b6/0I2A1373.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Hospital Giving Hope to War Amputees A technician sands and smooths a prosthetic socket inside the workshop at the Artificial Limbs and Rehabilitation Centre in Aden, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0465c504-f386-4486-829e-372ecd9b9aad/0I2A1362.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Hospital Giving Hope to War Amputees Finished prosthetic limbs stored inside the rehabilitation centre workshop in Aden, Yemen. The youngest patients treated at the centre are five months old. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/the-classrooms-left-behind-yemen monthly 0.5 2026-05-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7c86b2b2-badb-4f72-8a35-fbf6c6f8258e/0I2A1234+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Classrooms Left Behind Al Shaab School in Jabal Habashi district, Taiz governorate, Yemen. Parts of the school were destroyed during the conflict after the building was reportedly used for military purposes and the storage of weapons. Years later, sections of the school remain unsafe and unusable. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e14c58d4-e12d-4866-8de1-b0b21699200e/0I2A1170.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Classrooms Left Behind The destroyed side of Al Shaab School in Taiz governorate. Residents say the building was damaged during fighting after armed groups allegedly stored weapons inside the school compound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/eb1f3909-17fe-429f-b3c9-a0112ac8bd24/0I2A1182.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Classrooms Left Behind School Director Ahmad Mohamad Al Barakani, 33, poses with his son Marwan, 10, inside what would have been a classroom at Al Shaab School in Jabal Habashi district, Taiz governorate, Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0b607263-ea23-4eac-b7b2-0f9f82126c31/0I2A1175.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Classrooms Left Behind A classroom inside Al Shaab School remains exposed after part of the building was destroyed during the conflict. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/cd1f72b3-e63c-4e3c-b914-84e1bc130ace/0I2A1193.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Classrooms Left Behind Mine-risk awareness posters hang inside Al Shaab School in Taiz governorate, where unexploded ordnance and conflict contamination remain a concern for residents and students. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/9dcb20bb-09af-413e-b9d2-269448b03413/0I2A1201+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Classrooms Left Behind School Director Ahmad Mohamad Al Barakani points to a mine-risk awareness poster displayed inside Al Shaab School while student Ahmed Mohammed stands nearby. Residents say children continue studying in partially damaged sections of the building. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0b50d5a0-9304-477f-b786-c7c37955d94a/0I2A1205.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Classrooms Left Behind A forbidden section of Al Shaab School in Jabal Habashi district, Taiz governorate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d8e81310-a6ef-42ac-b914-1722584dcc97/0I2A1212.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Classrooms Left Behind Marwan stands inside a classroom at Al Shaab School, where mine-risk awareness posters have been attached to school desks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a1631b6d-7d32-465c-9905-e98cf2953306/0I2A1216+2.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Classrooms Left Behind Marwan Al Barakani, 10, sits inside a damaged classroom at Al Shaab School in Jabal Habashi district, Taiz governorate, Yemen. Residents say openings carved into the classroom windows were used by Houthi fighters as firing positions for machine guns aimed at the surrounding road and nearby fields during the conflict. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0d6f549b-c0bd-423b-b15b-12d23d426789/0I2A1209.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Classrooms Left Behind Marwan Al Barakani, 10, sits inside a classroom at Al Shaab School in Jabal Habashi district, Taiz governorate, Yemen, while his father Ahmad Mohamad Al Barakani, 33, stands nearby. After part of the school was destroyed during the conflict, around 300 students were left sharing four remaining classrooms. Marwan said that during hot weather, the 38 or 40 students crowded into the smallest rooms “can’t breathe”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/220f8b5d-ce75-41fa-88cd-2caf58f1ef0c/0I2A1225.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Classrooms Left Behind A child’s drawing inside Al Shaab School depicts the building before part of it was destroyed during the conflict. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a0c2afbd-ee36-458c-b4af-5b9ee3cda4da/0I2A1223.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Classrooms Left Behind School Director Ahmad Mohamad Al Barakani, 33, and his son Marwan, stand inside an empty classroom at Al Shaab School, where some rooms remain unusable due to conflict damage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/862890e8-7a60-4557-b0cb-32d8080b0a5f/0I2A1228.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Classrooms Left Behind School Director Ahmad Mohamad Al Barakani points to hand drawn educational maps of Yemen still hanging inside a damaged classroom at Al Shaab School in Taiz governorate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/4f6b8de7-15e8-4854-becc-561efe602dd4/0I2A1231.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Classrooms Left Behind School Director Ahmad Mohamad Al Barakani, 33, and his son Marwan, stand in the doorway of a damaged classroom at Al Shaab School in Jabal Habashi district, Taiz governorate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/5f8d7a09-f4be-4c76-92a1-a89dc2269ce4/0I2A1217.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Classrooms Left Behind Damaged schoolbooks and teaching materials remain piled inside Al Shaab School years after parts of the building were destroyed during the conflict. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/dalila monthly 0.5 2026-05-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/4acf83da-4703-4b54-aae2-95f1280e4923/0i2a0876_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - Dalila Dalila Abdo Ahmed peers through the doorway of her family’s apartment in Taiz, Yemen. In 2018, Dalila lost both legs below the knee after stepping on a landmine on the morning of her wedding while trying to reach her husband’s family home near the frontline outside the city. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a6e46c17-a4a4-4e0c-b5c8-ec8a36cb2432/01oonh24_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - Dalila Dalila Abdo Ahmed walks through a street in Taiz city using a cane. After surviving the blast, Dalila struggled to find prosthetic limbs that allowed her to move comfortably in a country where much of the healthcare system has been damaged by years of war. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/5acb6d50-821d-4de7-adc6-30b5e11b1d32/01yaa52k_orig.jpeg Photography Portfolio - Dalila Dalila Abdo Ahmed stands at her clothing stall in Taiz, Yemen. After losing both legs in a landmine explosion on her wedding day in 2018, Dalila gradually rebuilt her life and now earns her own income through the small business, using the money to support herself and help her ageing parents financially. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/8afc9063-1984-4735-a1f7-18095927d114/IMG_2746.JPG Photography Portfolio - Dalila The facade of the apartment building where Dalila Abdo Ahmed lives bears scars from years of conflict in Taiz, Yemen. Dalila’s family were displaced from their land near the frontline after fighting reached the area. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/62296456-f7af-4c36-839e-89498874b321/IMG_2769.jpg Photography Portfolio - Dalila Dalila's mother Qoboul Ahmed Al-Hajj, 70, sits with her grandchildren inside Dalila's apartment in Taiz. Three relatives in the extended family live with disabilities caused by landmine explosions, while Dalila says the family also lost four uncles and five cousins during the conflict. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/de520128-f221-4df7-b7d9-d26bbc9d82d3/IMG_2788.jpg Photography Portfolio - Dalila Dalila Abdo Ahmed inside her room in Taiz. While she was recovering in intensive care after the landmine blast, her husband divorced her and sought the return of the customary bride price, or mahr, from her family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0917109d-b331-4b50-b6b9-9606afe84619/IMG_2803.jpg Photography Portfolio - Dalila Dalila Abdo Ahmed holds a young relative inside her family home in Taiz. In Yemen, women living with disabilities often face stigma and social isolation after conflict-related injuries. Dalila says she has accepted life outside marriage and instead pours her affection into her nephews, nieces and cousins. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d78466df-a313-4c27-8e33-d313cb098187/IMG_2804.JPG Photography Portfolio - Dalila A young relative of Dalila Abdo Ahmed sits near a window inside the family apartment in Taiz. Despite repeated tragedy and displacement, Dalila’s family remains closely connected and supportive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/3fda087c-0d39-4418-9e9a-31bcbe99843e/IMG_2821.JPG Photography Portfolio - Dalila Qoboul Ahmed Al-Hajj, 70, stands beside her daughter Dalila Abdo Ahmed inside her apartment in Taiz. Qoboul travelled from the Al-Shakhab area of Saber Al-Mawadim District to visit her daughter and refused to abandon her despite the stigma often faced by women disabled by war injuries in Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/f4c43364-3f7f-4774-ba9d-57aedd910236/IMG_2822.JPG Photography Portfolio - Dalila Qoboul Ahmed Al-Hajj, 70, stands beside her daughter Dalila Abdo Ahmed inside their apartment in Taiz. Qoboul travelled from the Al-Shakhab area of Saber Al-Mawadim District to support her daughter and refused to abandon her despite the stigma often faced by women disabled by war injuries in Yemen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/1b5adfcc-15db-4e86-9eb2-7c046f85b41d/IMG_2854.JPG Photography Portfolio - Dalila Dalila Abdo Ahmed moves across the upper floor of her small apartment without her prosthetic legs. Despite chronic pain and the difficulty of navigating steep stairs inside the building, Dalila insists on maintaining her independence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/4489708f-f7dc-4b74-86b6-09cc19bf8ed2/IMG_2856.jpg Photography Portfolio - Dalila A textile hangs inside the apartment of Dalila Abdo Ahmed in Taiz, Yemen, where she lives after being displaced by the conflict. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ef44d3c5-d316-44e3-aa21-2bbb2edeef24/IMG_2874.jpg Photography Portfolio - Dalila Qoboul Ahmed Al-Hajj watches as her daughter Dalila Abdo Ahmed fits one of her prosthetic limbs inside their apartment in Taiz. Despite repeated losses during the war, Qoboul says she still hopes for a better future for her family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/00782ba5-cfe6-431b-b30b-5704f9ef16fa/IMG_2929.JPG Photography Portfolio - Dalila A chicken peers through a window inside the apartment building where Dalila Abdo Ahmed lives with her family in Taiz. Dalila rebuilt her life gradually after the explosion and now contributes financially to support her parents. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d5d99660-0c9d-43cc-ae09-48f4e2226e64/IMG_2938.JPG Photography Portfolio - Dalila Dalila Abdo Ahmed inside her room in Taiz. Injured on her wedding day in 2018, she was taken to a hospital unequipped to treat severe blast trauma — a reality that has become increasingly common during Yemen’s war. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7848d6d9-fab0-4197-babe-d214840ce809/o11ie3154_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - Dalila Dalila Abdo Ahmed sits beside her prosthetic limbs inside her room in Taiz. Five other people were killed or injured by the same minefield that wounded her near the family’s former home outside the city. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/33253fe7-ff1f-4ab5-b8f4-e4b2788f5a2b/screen-shot-2023-08-23-at-16-49-54_orig.jpeg Photography Portfolio - Dalila Dalila Abdo Ahmed clasps her hands inside her family’s apartment in Taiz. The young woman said she has told her story several times, but it doesn’t seem to bring any help. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7a978e0c-ee48-4f44-a425-c5b2a7f8b0ff/whatsapp-image-2025-09-23-at-15-20-10-4_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - Dalila The prosthetic limbs of Dalila Abdo Ahmed stand inside her apartment in Taiz, Yemen. Despite trauma, displacement and the stigma attached to women disabled by war injuries, Dalila continues to rebuild her life with determination and independence. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/where-the-herd-boys-gather-lesotho monthly 0.5 2026-05-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7ff64c56-a83b-4b44-9ca0-7dd16bcc85ee/lesotho2020-684_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - Where the Herd Boys Gather Programme coordinator Lulu (left) and a driver ask for directions while searching for herd boys who will attend an HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention session in Leribe district, Lesotho. Outreach teams often travel long distances across remote grazing areas to reach boys living far from schools and health services. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b92332ef-eda7-4665-9b8e-4fdfacdf4dc2/lesotho2020-717_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - Where the Herd Boys Gather Peer educator P., a former herd boy, rides on the back of the outreach vehicle as the team travels through the lowlands of Leribe district, Lesotho, to reach the meeting point for an HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention session with herd boys. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/74b31a83-f1af-4345-ac3b-b95750d65b7b/lesotho2020-856_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - Where the Herd Boys Gather Two figures cross grazing land in Leribe district, Lesotho. Herd boys may spend months at a time in remote areas caring for livestock, often far from schools, clinics and formal health information. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/637b9cd0-451c-4361-9e49-8700d4bf9bc0/lesotho2020-850_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - Where the Herd Boys Gather Programme coordinator Lulu stands in the lowlands of Leribe district, where outreach teams organise HIV and STI prevention sessions for herd boys living beyond the reach of regular healthcare services. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ab2713ef-8dfd-4e8b-8101-a8b45b4f3223/lesotho2020-855_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - Where the Herd Boys Gather Peer educators P. (left) and D. (right), both former herd boys, in Leribe district, Lesotho, where they deliver HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention sessions. Peer-to-peer education is critical for herd boys, who are often excluded from formal schooling and healthcare. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/9d0134ba-c60d-4c55-9505-55eb6526352f/lesotho2020-814_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - Where the Herd Boys Gather A herd boy walks across grazing land in Leribe district. Boys can begin herding livestock at a very young age and may spend long periods isolated from their families and communities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7f6e4587-94e5-458f-af82-0029ba6ea2ed/lesotho2020-721_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - Where the Herd Boys Gather Peer educator D. stands in grazing land in Leribe district, Lesotho. Mobility, isolation and limited access to healthcare place many herd boys at increased risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/2a0a9686-30b3-4093-a0a8-b276ef7f04fc/lesotho2020-761_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - Where the Herd Boys Gather Herd boys gather with a dog near grazing land while waiting for the outreach team to arrive for a community health session in Leribe district. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e9c7b272-58df-4679-b0de-3adb9fad5fb3/lesotho2020-800_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - Where the Herd Boys Gather Herd boys gather beneath a tree in Leribe district before an HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention session. The meeting place was described simply as “under the cattle post by the tree,” reflecting how herd boys navigate the mountains and grazing lands through intimate knowledge of the terrain rather than named roads or formal locations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/1779191348743-EW7BG6ZR0WY053XZ2Q8W/lesotho2020-791_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - Where the Herd Boys Gather Peer educator P., a former herd boy, leads a discussion with herd boys during an HIV and STI prevention session in Leribe district. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/1a10d0f3-e2e3-43e8-a9ae-8bcf8486544c/lesotho2020-785_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - Where the Herd Boys Gather A herd boy listens during a discussion on HIV, sexually transmitted infections, healthy relationships and access to health services in Leribe district. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d833eb8a-96e4-4580-8cfe-7b8e28d860cd/lesotho2020-774_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - Where the Herd Boys Gather Peer educators distribute condoms to herd boys following a prevention session in Leribe district, part of efforts to improve access to sexual and reproductive health resources in remote grazing communities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/433b2452-bd69-4c77-b8dc-464d1eb1a54d/lesotho2020-839_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - Where the Herd Boys Gather Herd boys sign an attendance register after an HIV and STI prevention session in Leribe district, helping outreach workers track participation in community health activities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/84a2eff3-fdd7-4331-81a9-0d199b09659f/lesotho2020-860_orig.jpg Photography Portfolio - Where the Herd Boys Gather Peer educator D. rides on the back of the outreach vehicle after the outreach session in the lowlands of Leribe district. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/at-home-in-lesotho monthly 0.5 2026-05-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b6deb078-3d1a-494e-883b-3f164aa9d90d/IMG_3399.JPG Photography Portfolio - At Home in Lesotho Children walk along the roadside outside Ha Chonapase in Leribe District, Lesotho. Michael’s grandchildren walk long distances to attend school because the family cannot afford daily transport costs. Secondary education in Lesotho often requires families to pay fees, uniforms and transport expenses that place enormous strain on low-income households. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c8204dd5-e7e7-44e2-a71c-ff43cdccb5f7/IMG_3418.JPG Photography Portfolio - At Home in Lesotho A neighbour's child walks to school near Michael's home in Leribe District. Michael says keeping his grandchildren in school is his greatest concern as rising costs and disputes over bursary payments threaten his granddaughter's education. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a3b4fd7b-b0ee-4af5-91e6-9545c357dd9e/IMG_3364.JPG Photography Portfolio - At Home in Lesotho Laundry hangs outside Michael’s home in Ha Chonapase. Michael survives on a monthly pension and says most of the household income goes toward school costs, food and basic living expenses for the children he now raises alone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c7fac549-c835-4daf-a1d5-592cab347bbc/IMG_3339.JPG Photography Portfolio - At Home in Lesotho A narrow path runs between homes in the village of Ha Chonapase in Leribe District, where poverty and unemployment remain widespread. Michael says many children in the area are left vulnerable after losing parental care, often because of illness, migration or family instability. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/6aa5d8b3-0a02-488e-ab55-f001fa436acb/IMG_3320.JPG Photography Portfolio - At Home in Lesotho Viewed through the doorway of the family home, a dog rests on the floor while Michael and a visitor speak inside. The household was referred to Sentebale’s OVC programme through local community structures after village leaders identified the children as vulnerable. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/6a8a95bc-8f57-41eb-826f-f151107bd947/IMG_3333.JPG Photography Portfolio - At Home in Lesotho A basin sits in the kitchen of Michael’s home. Michael had been living alone before taking in his grandchildren, and says the children now help with household chores while he struggles to provide for the family on his pension income alone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d12860da-1d43-494b-8519-b5db783e886d/IMG_3343.JPG Photography Portfolio - At Home in Lesotho A dog rests on the floor inside the family home in Leribe District. The house is shared by Michael and his two grandchildren, who have lived with him since 2014 after instability within their immediate family left them without consistent care. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ca28d4dd-4540-46e4-bbd1-b538b279965f/IMG_3360.JPG Photography Portfolio - At Home in Lesotho Michael bends over paperwork during a visit connected to school support and case management assistance. Through Sentebale’s OVC programme, Beauty was linked to government sponsorship support for school fees, though administrative disputes later placed her education at risk again. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/073f4704-2279-404a-ad42-f510f5edf413/IMG_3346.JPG Photography Portfolio - At Home in Lesotho Beauty holds a rosary while sitting beside her grandfather inside their home. Michael says he worries constantly about the children’s future and hopes they will continue their education despite the family’s financial difficulties. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/fe3b2518-8814-498c-a827-87c5fdfa05b6/IMG_3349.JPG Photography Portfolio - At Home in Lesotho Michael sits beside his granddaughter Beauty inside their home in Ha Chonapase. Michael says taking responsibility for the children felt like a duty because he feared no one else would care for them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/54b2f880-7087-4f0c-aa31-74924ea05e85/IMG_3362.JPG Photography Portfolio - At Home in Lesotho Calendars and community notices hang on the walls inside Michael’s home in Leribe District, Lesotho. Michael says access to education remains one of the most urgent needs for vulnerable children in the area. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/871981f2-4f0e-4473-b0a5-bd25e76af22b/IMG_3359.JPG Photography Portfolio - At Home in Lesotho Michael Mosabala Leschibi, 78, sits beside his granddaughter Beauty inside the family’s modest home in Ha Chonapase, Leribe District, Lesotho. The family home reflects the financial pressures faced by many grandparents caring for vulnerable children in rural Lesotho. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/4399abf5-cf28-41bc-8ff1-b8330499be10/IMG_3334.JPG Photography Portfolio - At Home in Lesotho Michael Mosabala Leschibi, 78, stands inside his home in Ha Chonapase, Leribe District. He raises his two grandchildren on an old-age pension after taking them in when their mother repeatedly disappeared and left them without care. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c81e8bec-9d5c-4542-b8d5-854fd3439acb/IMG_3354.JPG Photography Portfolio - At Home in Lesotho Beauty, 14, holds a rosary. A deeply religious family, Beauty hopes and prays she will one day run her own business. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/a-place-of-her-own-lesotho monthly 0.5 2026-05-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e45fab68-38c3-487a-a0fb-25012216475b/IMG_3366.JPG Photography Portfolio - A Place of Her Own A curtain hangs over the window of Paballo’s small shop in Ha Magele, Leribe District, Lesotho, where handwritten prices for bread, paraffin and snacks are taped to the glass. With youth unemployment high and economic opportunities limited, many women rely on informal businesses like this one to support themselves and their families. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/2667b774-e280-4fa6-8e34-0934411964cc/IMG_3378.JPG Photography Portfolio - A Place of Her Own A customer stands inside the doorway of Paballo's one-room shopin Ha Magele, Leribe District, Lesotho. The business serves neighbours and schoolchildren in the area, selling essentials in small quantities to households managing rising costs and unstable incomes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/57561e9e-e6b3-49bf-a544-f114066f2722/IMG_3373.JPG Photography Portfolio - A Place of Her Own Paballo reaches for packets of snacks inside her shop. In a country where many young women face unemployment, gender-based violence and limited economic opportunities, small informal businesses can provide rare financial independence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/841824da-6f4f-4052-9fcb-31eef52c34de/IMG_3376.JPG Photography Portfolio - A Place of Her Own Handwritten prices for bread and packets of peanuts hang beside shelves stocked with inexpensive food items inside Paballo’s shop. Customers often buy goods in small amounts, reflecting the economic pressures many families face. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/5aaf98bf-1126-47f6-a733-5eea0c624b11/IMG_3379.JPG Photography Portfolio - A Place of Her Own A customer purchases a soft drink inside Paballo’s shop. Small neighbourhood stores like this one often become informal social spaces as well as sources of income within the community. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/6304aa2d-f58a-43eb-9d14-ae27cfd757d7/IMG_3377.JPG Photography Portfolio - A Place of Her Own Seen through the dusty shop window, a woman waits at the till behind handwritten price lists outside Paballo’s store in Lesotho. The photographs avoid fully identifying Paballo in order to protect her privacy and safety while documenting the environment she has created through her work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/115894cd-3c94-41ad-80a0-f74f74077119/IMG_3382.JPG Photography Portfolio - A Place of Her Own A child passes outside Paballo’s shop after school in Ha Magele, Leribe District, Lesotho. The storefront acts as both a small business and a gathering point within the neighbourhood, where children stop for snacks and residents meet throughout the day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/45b88e2e-aa4f-4126-ada3-c0f5b789d566/IMG_3383.JPG Photography Portfolio - A Place of Her Own Schoolchildren gather outside Paballo’s shop after classes in Ha Magele, Leribe District, Lesotho. The series focuses on the spaces, objects and routines surrounding her work rather than her identity, reflecting both the vulnerabilities many women face and the resilience required to sustain an independent livelihood. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/carrying-the-weight-lesotho monthly 0.5 2026-05-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/4ebaf39d-fa00-4185-aca2-e324e75dcc9f/IMG_3724.JPG Photography Portfolio - Carrying the Weight A portrait of youth advocate Pheto Kutumela inside his home in Ha Makunyapane, a remote village in Lesotho’s Thaba-Tseka district. Through Sentebale’s Let Youth Lead programme, Pheto works with families affected by poverty, disability and limited access to support services. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/f34f29a5-7f74-46f2-975a-b64aabe59078/IMG_3733.JPG Photography Portfolio - Carrying the Weight Pheto reviews community scorecards used through Sentebale’s Let Youth Lead programme to assess local healthcare and education services in rural Lesotho. The programme trains young advocates to document gaps in public services and push local authorities for change. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/674bdaee-e019-4e16-a294-0659289fd8d4/IMG_3737.JPG Photography Portfolio - Carrying the Weight Pheto Kutumela holds completed scorecards used to evaluate healthcare access and service delivery in remote mountain communities. Beyond advocacy training, participants in the programme learn to monitor local facilities and engage policymakers over gaps in care and education. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/1aba5dc4-3e95-45fe-a492-af24f45a0f36/IMG_3730.JPG Photography Portfolio - Carrying the Weight Pheto sits outside his home in Ha Makunyapane. Reaching the village requires hours of travel through Lesotho’s mountainous interior, where many communities remain geographically isolated from public services. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e950d6e2-b626-4a71-86ce-39b90ef5d10a/IMG_4028.jpg Photography Portfolio - Carrying the Weight Palesa's rondavel overlooking the valleys of Thaba Moorosi, Lithipeng. The mountainous terrain contributes to the isolation experienced by many families living in Lesotho’s highlands. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a3e4987d-b469-45bc-83be-3085f562e5f6/IMG_3738.JPG Photography Portfolio - Carrying the Weight Palesa sits inside her one-room home in Thaba Moorosi, Lithipeng, where she cares for her severely disabled daughter, Lebo. The image focuses on gesture and domestic space rather than direct portraiture. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/90a31494-1761-4d8e-ad65-a23e473519c1/IMG_3742.JPG Photography Portfolio - Carrying the Weight Palesa rests her hands in her lap while speaking about caring for her daughter inside their stone house in the mountains of Thaba Moorosi, Lithipeng, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/478ddfaf-7092-4e26-88bb-22514d62977a/IMG_3745.JPG Photography Portfolio - Carrying the Weight Dishes and household items inside Palesa’s home in Thaba Moorosi, Lithipeng,. The series focuses closely on ordinary domestic spaces shaped by poverty, care work and isolation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/387fbf47-0433-4323-8d91-36575d3d89ac/IMG_4038.jpg Photography Portfolio - Carrying the Weight A wheelchair provided after advocacy by Pheto Kutumela sits inside the family home. The chair eased some of the physical burden of care, though the family continues to live with limited support and difficult conditions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d3198219-017b-4a41-b675-033f44c69455/IMG_4040.jpg Photography Portfolio - Carrying the Weight A view from inside Palesa's house in Thaba Moorosi, Lithipeng, toward Lesotho’s mountain highlands. Many villages in the region remain difficult to access and far removed from consistent state services. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/f627e6cc-95be-49f0-a746-467f241ec1ea/IMG_4036.jpg Photography Portfolio - Carrying the Weight A small stone rondavel in Thaba Moorosi where Bokang Khera and an elderly caregiver lived together in isolation. Though physically small for his age because of malnutrition, Bokang was 16 years old and had only attended school up to Class 7. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c7ab1c9e-89b7-44e8-9c5d-fd84ab96dbf7/IMG_4025.jpg Photography Portfolio - Carrying the Weight An elderly man sits outside the stone hut he shared with teenager Bokang Khera in Thaba Moorosi. Bokang helped herd cattle, while the older man provided food, shelter and daily care. The two lived alone together in the mountains. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/486ad192-d935-4223-9d70-329ee0a27653/IMG_4116.jpg Photography Portfolio - Carrying the Weight Pheto Kutumela enters the home of Bokang Khera and his elderly caregiver in Thaba Moorosi during his first visit to the household. While documenting their living conditions and hearing their story, Pheto began considering how he could advocate for further support on their behalf. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/11a9aff1-111c-460f-af83-3828202b3931/View+recent+photos.jpeg Photography Portfolio - Carrying the Weight A coal stove and cooking utensils inside the hut shared by Bokang Khera and his elderly caregiver. The single-room dwelling served as their kitchen, sleeping area with a shared blanket on the floor, and living space. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/96bc1a09-d51b-4ef5-943e-bfa080b68243/IMG_4016.jpg Photography Portfolio - Carrying the Weight Bokang Khera sits beside an older relative outside their home in Thaba Moorosi. Though the exact family relationship was unclear, Bokang referred to him as “uncle.” Living together in isolation, Bokang helped herd cattle while the older man provided food, shelter and care. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d814accb-b399-4a3b-a4b5-4aece414c750/IMG_4022.jpg Photography Portfolio - Carrying the Weight Bokang Khera poses outside the hut he shared with an elderly caregiver in the mountains of southern Lesotho. Though physically small for his age because of malnutrition, he was approximately 15 or 16 years old and had only attended school up to Class 7. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/nowhere-left-to-go-refugee-children-in-calais monthly 0.5 2026-06-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/81ff1750-c932-4ecf-9eda-83e67c5bc373/calais-jungle-camp-9.jpg Photography Portfolio - Nowhere Left to Go: Refugee Children in Calais A lone child walks between shelters in the Calais “Jungle” camp shortly before French authorities moved forward with demolition plans. Aid workers feared hundreds of unaccompanied minors would disappear into homelessness, trafficking networks, or further displacement once the camp was dismantled. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/453f7802-bd93-4b8f-803b-b47e5f77e63c/calais-jungle-camp-4.jpg Photography Portfolio - Nowhere Left to Go: Refugee Children in Calais Mamad, 16, fled Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan after Taliban insurgents entered his village. Living alone in Calais after a journey across multiple countries, he described suffering from depression, isolation, and untreated medical problems while waiting for the chance to seek asylum in the UK. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a9b62fcc-b1a6-4477-9a0e-1c52e090ded1/calais-jungle-camp-5.jpg Photography Portfolio - Nowhere Left to Go: Refugee Children in Calais Mamad shows a photograph of his teenage cousin on his mobile phone inside the Calais camp. Mamad claimed his cousin - the only relative travelling with him - died after being shot by Iranian police during their journey toward Europe. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a11dbb85-ec86-4eb2-ad14-e75e7a50d34a/calais-jungle-camp-6.jpg Photography Portfolio - Nowhere Left to Go: Refugee Children in Calais Portrait of Gul, 15, an unaccompanied Afghan child living in the Calais “Jungle” camp ahead of its planned demolition in 2016. Hundreds of minors in the camp were left in legal uncertainty as British and French authorities debated relocation and family reunification procedures. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/2f65be86-1dd9-4ab2-a528-a141a521e1f0/calais-jungle-camp-8.jpg Photography Portfolio - Nowhere Left to Go: Refugee Children in Calais Portrait of Hamed, 15, an Afghan refugee living among other unaccompanied minors in the Calais camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d4c5e2e6-f98e-43ec-90bd-0e4ffb98573c/calais-jungle-camp-1.jpg Photography Portfolio - Nowhere Left to Go: Refugee Children in Calais A tear gas canister lies beside the foot of Qaid, a young refugee from Afghanistan in the Calais “Jungle” camp in northern France. Children in the camp alleged French police regularly used tear gas during clashes near roads, fences, and lorry routes as minors attempted to reach the UK. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/79cf20d4-2256-4ac2-86b5-6ccd86bbfdbb/calais-jungle-camp.jpg Photography Portfolio - Nowhere Left to Go: Refugee Children in Calais Qais holds a tear gas canister he said was fired by French police near the camp during attempts by refugees to reach lorries heading toward Britain. Children in Calais described repeated exposure to violence, police confrontations, and dangerous crossing attempts while living without stable shelter or protection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/f4e5eb3d-eee4-4594-bf8d-a0675f914fff/calais-jungle-camp-2.jpg Photography Portfolio - Nowhere Left to Go: Refugee Children in Calais Hassan, 15, fled Sudan as a child and arrived alone in Calais after crossing multiple borders into Europe. Ahead of the camp’s demolition, he said he had no idea where he would go next if the settlement was destroyed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/02fc267f-eaa9-4bbe-9646-8bd47653b01c/calais-jungle-camp-3.jpg Photography Portfolio - Nowhere Left to Go: Refugee Children in Calais David, 18, an Eritrean orphan raised partly in Ethiopia, travelled through Sudan and Libya before reaching France by boat via Italy. In Calais, he kept a handwritten journal while speaking about racism, hostility, and the uncertainty faced by young refugees stranded in the camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/6860bf0f-44fa-45e8-a6c7-3f591d382e5d/calais-jungle-camp-7.jpg Photography Portfolio - Nowhere Left to Go: Refugee Children in Calais Zab, 14, from Afghanistan had spent more than a year living in Calais and repeatedly attempted to board lorries travelling to the UK. He described the psychological toll of camp life, saying children feared “going crazy” after months trapped in uncertainty and repeated failed crossings. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/hostility-and-fear-lgbtq-ugandan-refugees-in-kakuma monthly 0.5 2026-05-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/969ec129-14b5-4c80-8f0e-a8ffee1a64f8/E22A0531.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma A road leading into Kakuma refugee camp in northwestern Kenya, where LGBTQ+ refugees from Uganda and across East Africa sought safety after fleeing persecution, violence and anti-gay crackdowns at home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/f48e3cca-4fa2-474b-98b7-4f6ef7b732b8/E22A0560.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma Corrugated metal sheets and thorn branches form part of the fragile perimeter surrounding the LGBTQ+ refugee compound in Kakuma. Residents said attacks and harassment from outsiders were common, and members of the community took turns acting as guards overnight because the makeshift barriers offered little real protection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b7e92cd7-7ed4-4f12-ac43-7a90936df2d0/E22A0555.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma Residents walk through narrow passageways between shelters built from UNHCR tarpaulin, corrugated metal and thorn branches inside Kakuma refugee camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/74faac34-272a-4783-91ab-755d585cedfd/E22A0553.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma "Sarah" and two residents stand beside thorn fencing surrounding part of the settlement in Kakuma refugee camp. Many refugees asked not to be identified publicly because of fears of violence, harassment or reprisals. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/1d7f2c7d-aea9-4394-948f-50a62590b749/E22A0542.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma Residents gather during a community meeting in Kakuma refugee camp. LGBTQ+ refugees often organised informal support networks to share resources, information and protection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/0bde6c99-6195-42bc-9be6-16d0078ce298/E22A0546.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma Residents sit together during a meeting inside a shelter in Kakuma refugee camp, where many LGBTQ+ refugees said isolation and insecurity shaped daily life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e0f32043-ae7c-40f8-90ab-790c58970a4c/E22A0534.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma Charles Itwara, a transgender refugee from Uganda, sits outside a shelter in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. She said local people threw stones at her across the flimsy thorn hedge surrounding the community’s compound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/bc6213dd-5fda-49de-974b-979e70f852fa/E22A0541.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma Bracelets worn by Mary include colours associated with LGBTQ+ identity and solidarity inside the camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/043fcad0-1182-41c5-b0e3-7fb239df074f/E22A0557.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma Mud-stained high heels hang from a plastic sheet wall surrounding part of the settlement in Kakuma refugee camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/6804e378-4954-4a7a-b592-21fcd1541297/E22A0539.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma Charles Itwara, a transgender refugee from Uganda, sits outside a shelter in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. She said local people threw stones at her across the flimsy thorn hedge surrounding the community’s compound. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/687b7be7-d951-496f-b37c-101873a758ca/E22A0568.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma Clothes belonging to Charles Itwara hang inside her shelter in Kakuma refugee camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/87067bbb-650a-4804-a478-d4589ad0a535/E22A0566.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma Shoes and a small rainbow flag hang inside a shelter in Kakuma refugee camp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e911c918-3885-4788-a993-cfa6fdfa0097/E22A0563.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma Mosquito nets hang above beds inside a shared shelter in Kakuma refugee camp. Several LGBTQ+ refugees described overcrowded living conditions and limited privacy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d168bde4-c72f-4191-bc77-fe902bb94ded/E22A0564.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma Personal belongings inside Charles Itwara’ shelter include cosmetics, notebooks, toiletries and folded clothes. Charles, a transgender refugee from Uganda, said maintaining small routines helped her preserve dignity and identity amid displacement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/05637f2f-015e-4c0d-9175-22227a1a6457/E22A0579.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma Charles Itwara sits inside her shelter in Kakuma refugee camp, where she lives among improvised walls, mosquito nets and household items assembled over years of displacement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/4870d3fe-3e33-4c82-949f-e09cbf013e92/E22A0558.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma Cooking pots and water containers outside a shelter in Kakuma refugee camp, where residents described struggling with shortages of food, water and basic supplies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b51d83dc-9ce9-464a-8458-64dc886a6c57/E22A0561.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma Corrugated metal sheets and thorn branches form part of the perimeter surrounding a section of Kakuma refugee camp where LGBTQ+ refugees clustered together for protection after facing harassment and attacks from other residents. UN officials acknowledged that many LGBTQ+ refugees chose to live together because they felt safer in a visible community despite the compound’s flimsy makeshift barriers. Residents said members of the group took turns acting as guards overnight because attacks and intimidation remained common. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/793bf365-071e-4418-803f-96d89baa887c/E22A0575.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma "David" plants a small tree outside a shelter in Kakuma refugee camp. Alongside living in the camp, some LGBTQ+ refugees took part in vocational and educational programmes - including horticulture training - in the hope of building skills and futures beyond displacement. Residents also tried to soften and personalise the harsh environment around their shelters despite insecurity and uncertainty over resettlement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d5f37b10-e6c9-4e44-bee8-1e4f504a0272/E22A0577.JPG Photography Portfolio - Hostility and Fear: LGBTQ+ Ugandan Refugees in Kakuma "David" stands outside his shelter in Kakuma refugee camp. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/no-protection-here-somalis-kenya monthly 0.5 2026-06-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c4e74015-8e1c-4319-bccb-4e8417b23ee8/E22A0711.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here Hands of a 22-year-old Somali refugee in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. Speaking anonymously, he told IBTimes UK that reports of rape against Somali women and girls had become one of the community's greatest fears. "I'd rather die than have my mother, sister or daughter raped," he said. Kakuma, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/1f491b65-944c-468d-9a0b-dc1c1d64ebce/E22A0713.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here A Somali refugee father who had lived in Kakuma refugee camp since 2009. Concerned by reports of violence and sexual attacks against women and girls, he said he made the difficult decision to send four of his daughters to Nairobi, believing they would be safer away from the camp. Kakuma, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7a11a0ba-fe99-42ad-8115-ab59f01b98ac/E22A0718.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here A Somali refugee displays scars that he said were the result of torture and ill-treatment. Kakuma, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b5403301-c9b0-4eb9-9a08-4b20459b3b2a/E22A0735.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here View of Kakuma refugee camp in north-western Kenya. The photograph was taken near a predominantly Somali section of the camp where residents spoke about growing insecurity and attacks against members of their community. Kakuma, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/74ca34d8-43d7-4936-8e4e-ad1e66709490/E22A0745.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here Somali children walk through a predominantly Somali area of Kakuma refugee camp. Residents said fears over violence and sexual attacks against women and girls had become widespread within the community. Kakuma, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e3dfcc28-8a6d-404d-8129-ac47ca97a05a/E22A0898.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here Laundry hangs from balconies in Eastleigh, Nairobi, a neighbourhood home to large numbers of Somali refugees and migrants. Many refugees who left Kakuma settled in the district hoping to find greater safety and opportunity. Nairobi, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/5b1114e4-1bc0-4634-9d8b-1fcdc2679273/E22A0921.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here An apartment window in Nairobi's Eastleigh district. Four Somali sisters who fled Kakuma refugee camp were living nearby after leaving the camp amid growing fears for their safety. Nairobi, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/bfc7de3f-364b-408d-beae-59d5548486bd/E22A0926.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here Laundry hangs across the courtyard of an apartment block in Eastleigh, Nairobi, in which four sisters have been living. The neighbourhood became a refuge for Somali families seeking to live outside Kenya's refugee camps. Nairobi, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a228fb2e-5904-4111-9e12-c742b747306b/E22A0936.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here Four Somali refugee sisters sit together inside their shared room in Eastleigh, Nairobi. Their father sent them from Kakuma refugee camp to the capital after reports of attacks against women and girls in the camp. Nairobi, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/80d22a2b-5731-49c3-a207-cd1bf683b44f/E22A0937.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here A Somali refugee woman sits inside a shared apartment in Eastleigh, Nairobi. The sisters said they spent much of their time indoors because of fears of police harassment, arrest or deportation. Nairobi, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c88e456d-87de-4963-bd3a-c99d5d9d0729/E22A0940.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here A Somali refugee woman poses for a portrait in Eastleigh, Nairobi. Some of the women requested anonymity because of concerns for their safety and legal status. Nairobi, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/81ff61ed-3e8a-43e2-a0c8-c9645dc48596/E22A0941.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here An almost empty room inside an apartment occupied by Somali refugee women in Eastleigh, Nairobi. The sisters spent much of their time confined indoors, fearful of being stopped by police if they left the building. Nairobi, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/322f113d-aea1-4ef6-92aa-1564129111c9/E22A0945.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here Light enters through a curtained window inside an apartment in Eastleigh, Nairobi. The sisters said they rarely ventured outside because they feared arrest, detention or deportation. Nairobi, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/693d1513-885e-4359-b802-4444f925a5f2/E22A0947.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here A Somali refugee woman reacts during an interview in Eastleigh, Nairobi. The sisters described fleeing violence in Kakuma only to find themselves living in fear and uncertainty in the capital. Nairobi, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/78987ed6-39b4-4d9b-852e-55b6927f7d29/E22A0950.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here Small suitcases and personal belongings inside an apartment occupied by Somali refugee women in Eastleigh, Nairobi. Without valid documentation, the sisters remained uncertain about their future in Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/f88a8f43-d73d-41c6-bb59-09bebccf6ce7/E22A0952.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here A Somali refugee woman conceals her identity while speaking about her experiences in Kenya. Several refugees requested anonymity because they feared repercussions for themselves or their families. Nairobi, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/6157b381-7e1a-4b2b-b0ec-7496b5dd8a84/E22A0955.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here Two Somali refugee sisters look at a mobile phone inside their apartment in Eastleigh, Nairobi. The women remained in contact with relatives and friends who were still living in Kakuma refugee camp. Nairobi, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7e8c9bcb-f23f-4ced-a924-98dfa6971955/E22A0972.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here A kitchen area inside an apartment occupied by Somali refugee women in Eastleigh, Nairobi. The sisters relied on relatives and community support while trying to regularise their status. Nairobi, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/318f322b-4be1-42b2-b654-ac221ef9dc5f/E22A0977.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here A young Somali refugee woman descends a staircase in an apartment block in Eastleigh, Nairobi. The sisters often used side streets and avoided unnecessary travel because of fears of police checks and arrest. Nairobi, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/26e57f7b-7ffa-4cdf-a722-dca84714bdf4/E22A0982.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here Somali refugee women walk through the courtyard of an apartment building in Eastleigh, Nairobi. Refugees described feeling trapped between insecurity in the camps and fears of detention or deportation in the city. Nairobi, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a65adaee-ce79-4104-ad25-daf5b1bb5056/E22A0994.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here The hand of a Somali refugee woman during a meeting with legal and protection officers from a non-governmental organisation in Nairobi. The sisters' refugee documentation had expired and, without valid identification papers, they feared arrest, detention or deportation. Nairobi, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b8547c59-6c16-46c5-a31a-79cc35bfe5b3/E22A1003.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here A letter requesting legal protection and documentation lies on a table during a meeting in Nairobi. Refugees said difficulties obtaining or renewing documents left many vulnerable to arrest and harassment. Nairobi, Kenya, June 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/62cc4464-37d0-4ca0-b704-87347d7571ee/E22A1011.JPG Photography Portfolio - No Protection Here Legal documents are reviewed during a meeting with refugee advisers in Nairobi. For many Somali refugees living outside Kenya's camps, access to documentation and legal assistance remained critical to avoiding detention and possible repatriation. Nairobi, Kenya, June 2016. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/the-right-to-belong-kenya-refugees monthly 0.5 2026-06-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/41c56963-bd27-4b3f-8e6e-b37980659957/E22A0313.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Right to Belong Refugees and guests gather outside Divine Word Church in Nairobi's Kayole estate during celebrations marking World Refugee Day, organised by the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) and Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/52f6b0fa-60bc-471c-a20f-5658fc8ee837/E22A0318.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Right to Belong A refugee performer carries the South Sudan flag during a cultural procession at Divine Word Church in Kayole, Nairobi, as part of World Refugee Day celebrations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e6120b0b-b27c-45cb-8fa1-23f99a3f6ab5/E22A0352.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Right to Belong Refugees, community members and church leaders attend World Refugee Day celebrations at Divine Word Church in Nairobi's Kayole estate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/cedb8ece-c71d-4856-927e-c20995091cbd/E22A0364.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Right to Belong Refugee performers process through the church as audience members watch and applaud during World Refugee Day celebrations in Nairobi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/2cd98fb6-21c2-4f2a-96bf-eca52da16077/E22A0386.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Right to Belong Refugee performers present a traditional dance during World Refugee Day celebrations organised by KCCB and JRS at Divine Word Church in Nairobi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7634829d-eae1-4e1c-ae20-ee0e048d190c/E22A0437.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Right to Belong A refugee performer takes part in a cultural dance presentation during World Refugee Day celebrations at Divine Word Church in Kayole, Nairobi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/5b8530b0-2d2c-4b9e-910a-1c422ed9afe1/E22A0532.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Right to Belong A refugee performer poses for a portrait backstage during World Refugee Day celebrations at Divine Word Church in Nairobi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/6e43ea4c-6503-410a-a529-1dbf433d4c4a/E22A0558.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Right to Belong Refugee performers dance and play drums during a cultural presentation celebrating World Refugee Day in Nairobi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/4483a67e-471e-4ba6-93aa-118d2178c779/E22A0592.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Right to Belong Refugee performers dance and play drums during a cultural presentation celebrating World Refugee Day in Nairobi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7e76d19c-d3b9-41e0-b003-f99aaab6b7e4/E22A0632.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Right to Belong Refugee performers take part in a dance presentation during World Refugee Day celebrations at Divine Word Church in Kayole. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/50557d99-6a67-41bd-be04-adaad24f94aa/E22A0666.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Right to Belong A child watches a dance performance during World Refugee Day celebrations at Divine Word Church in Nairobi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b98af508-ce49-42db-9400-84c5f44d959d/E22A0678.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Right to Belong A performer leaps across the stage during a traditional dance presentation at Divine Word Church in Nairobi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/139bcead-2fdf-48e4-af2a-39d2ccdb3e8b/E22A0752.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Right to Belong A performer leaps across the stage during a traditional dance presentation at Divine Word Church in Nairobi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/84925459-31b9-40f7-ae4d-119c8c603a97/E22A0762.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Right to Belong A Catholic priest addresses refugees and guests during World Refugee Day celebrations at Divine Word Church in Nairobi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7b875fa2-01f9-4d23-b0d4-4651f7ed6f25/E22A0781.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Right to Belong A cake prepared for refugee children is displayed during World Refugee Day celebrations at Divine Word Church in Nairobi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/8110a03e-1761-4fab-a06c-7e9c914e08f1/E22A0873.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Right to Belong Children gather near a basketball court during World Refugee Day celebrations at Divine Word Church in Kayole, Nairobi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/1ab5336d-f83d-427f-a0d1-42ccb96de5d2/E22A0864.jpg Photography Portfolio - The Right to Belong Children gather near a basketball court after World Refugee Day celebrations at Divine Word Church in Kayole, Nairobi. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/keeping-girls-in-school-access-to-safe-water monthly 0.5 2026-06-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b65d3410-56f4-4ed9-ad1a-52fb4d657381/2W1A0061.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water Pupils sit together during a school assembly at Shinyunzu Primary School in Kakamega County, Kenya. Access to safe drinking water is a daily concern for many schools in the region, where water shortages can affect hygiene, attendance and learning. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c1055f44-e729-41a8-8308-3093205f1b34/2W1A0270.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water Pupils gather inside a classroom at Shinyunzu Primary School in Kakamega County, Kenya. Teachers say reliable access to clean water helps create healthier learning environments and reduces disruptions caused by illness. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/f7f6af5d-ddd1-4f9a-8796-4fb5df3d17d9/2W1A0124.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water Pupils participate in a water, sanitation and hygiene awareness session led by health educators at Shinyunzu Primary School in Kakamega County, Kenya. The sessions help students understand the importance of safe drinking water, handwashing and disease prevention. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/710f612a-6bff-4f81-9b2c-2284a43fada5/2W1A0438.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water A pupil stands outside a classroom at Shinyunzu Primary School in Kakamega County, Kenya. Safe https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b479124d-83ab-47bc-8c13-5061528fb1cf/2W1A0416.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water A health educator working with LifeStraw Community speaks to pupils during a water, sanitation and hygiene awareness session at Shinyunzu Primary School in Kakamega County, Kenya. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7e47d9c9-ec35-4ee9-87f3-a7b2b1df77d5/2W1A0528.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water A pupil drinks water during a school gathering at Shinyunzu Primary School. Access to safe drinking water allows children to focus on ordinary parts of school life rather than the challenge of finding water. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a436f760-bf40-4bea-b116-660618f1c087/2W1A0355.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water A teacher, Naomi Serenge, 40, stands inside a classroom at Shinyunzu Primary School in Kakamega County, Kenya. A teacher there for seven years, she said girls as young as nine drop out of school due to issues surrounding water, illnesses, finances and, later, unexpected pregnancies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/87f20b48-a2e1-49ce-8517-1d987e130a36/2W1A0558.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water Chris Figmitis, 14, sits outside her home in Kakamega County, Kenya. Chris studies at Shinyunzu Primary School and lives with her father and grandmother in a household of three. When asked about water availability at school, she stressed the importance of having purified water, saying access to safe drinking water improves her wellbeing and experience at school. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/8cb56908-f104-4a42-b641-030451116749/2W1A0609.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water Residents stand outside their home in Kakamega County, Kenya. Families across the region often manage limited water supplies used for drinking, cooking, cleaming and livestock, while balancing farming, childcare and education. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/3ced3210-6f44-4901-b9d4-ba2394121110/2W1A0624.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water A couple, who had never had access from safe drinking water, stand outside their home in Kakamega County, Kenya. Access to safe water affects household health, food preparation and the amount of time children spend on domestic chores rather than studying. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c0ca70f3-306f-4aac-b79f-cf56b737c3ff/2W1A0632.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water The courtyard between family homes in Kakamega County, Kenya. Water containers and household items are visible outside the buildings, reflecting the importance of water storage and management in everyday life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/8076ea91-69d9-48bc-9f3b-5a1b2a8291c3/2W1A0670.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water A pupil walks home in Kakamega County, Kenya. Children often combine school attendance with domestic responsibilities, including collecting water and wood for household use. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b5ea9503-d5f9-49f4-80c3-c439f6696e44/2W1A0662.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water A grandmother stands inside her home with her grandchildren in Kakamega County, Kenya. Family members often play a central role in supporting children's education while managing household water needs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/14b7d178-4de7-48ce-a29f-412a37497f11/2W1A0744.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water A pupil sits inside his family's living room in Kakamega County, Kenya. Time spent collecting water can reduce the hours available for homework, study and rest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/69d024fd-ef18-4895-a9d1-2a3ca92aa5f6/2W1A0766.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water A pupil carries a schoolbag and a small container on his head in Kakamega County, Kenya. Children frequently help transport water home for cooking, cleaning and drinking, often making several trips each day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/12c80cb9-c148-4a4d-97aa-ba7d28ae4b84/2W1A0785.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water A nurse washes fruit with clean water outside Emusanda Health Centre. Health workers say access to safe water remains fundamental to hygiene and disease prevention in the community. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/2f131e69-0514-449f-80b1-f1dd80b1f293/2W1A0835.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water A pupil sits among classmates during a gathering at Albertos Divine Providence School in Kakamega County, Kenya. Access to clean water and sanitation is closely linked to health, attendance and educational achievement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/648f50fe-93a3-452b-8631-885b4447a3df/2W1A0839.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water Teachers stand outside classrooms at Albertos Divine Providence School in Kakamega County. School staff say reliable water supplies are essential for preparing meals, cleaning facilities and supporting pupils throughout the school day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/3235955f-e7d7-43a1-8232-b65494cef6a4/2W1A0866.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water Saidi Olacho, Head Teacher at Albertos Divine Providence School, sits in his office in Kakamega County. Olacho oversees a school where access to water affects everything from meal preparation and cleaning to the amount of time pupils spend studying outside class. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/56efd2d1-d7d1-46ae-b934-3636c326eb77/2W1A0894.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water School workers shelter from a rainstorm at Albertos Divine Providence School. Rainwater collected from school roofs is stored and reused, helping supplement local water supplies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e8fae557-2e0a-4b75-a214-6bbf25bcaa5b/2W1A0922.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water Trezer Ndunde, a pupil at Albertos Divine Providence School, poses for a portrait in Kakamega County, Kenya. Trezer says she spends part of every evening collecting water, carrying a 20-litre container on her head and making three trips. "I would be happy because at least I would have time to revise for my exams," she says of having easier access to water. "I might still pass, but not pass as well as I would if I had enough time." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/69427fbb-c996-47bb-80d6-3cd9d0ecccb7/2W1A0669.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water A pupil at Albertos Divine Providence School stands outside her family's home in Kakamega County, Kenya. Children in the community often balance schoolwork with household responsibilities, including helping to collect and store water for daily use. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/6842f004-7c28-472c-af25-44d45264b57a/2W1A9976.JPG Photography Portfolio - Keeping Girls in School: Access to Safe Water Water containers sit among household items outside family homes in Kakamega County. For many households, storing enough water for drinking, cooking and washing is a daily concern. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/cost-of-fear-burundi-bujumbura monthly 0.5 2026-06-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/3861a823-66b7-4f08-b496-3565ccfed1db/DSC04517.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear Bujumbura's popular Lake Tanganyika waterfront, once a symbol of "Buja la Belle" and a busy weekend destination for locals, expatriates and tourists. By 2015, political unrest, insecurity and economic hardship had left many businesses struggling and public spaces far quieter than before. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ef8bd4ed-33f0-4829-9c1b-9c2fe9e351a6/DSC04521.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear A nearly empty stretch of beach along Lake Tanganyika. Restaurant owners, hotel staff and business operators reported sharp declines in customers following months of political unrest and violence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b9c18816-b6db-47f4-b26d-eb72d84e18e7/IMG_9829.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear The former Marché Central de Bujumbura. A devastating fire in 2013 destroyed Burundi's most important market, affecting thousands of traders and their families. Two years later, as political turmoil deepened, many residents were still grappling with the economic consequences. Bujumbura, Burundi, August 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/3333818e-7fb8-47b5-b90e-4409c63d8d20/IMG_9825.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear Traders and pedestrians move through a market area in Bujumbura. Once known as "Buja la Belle" for its lively atmosphere and thriving economy, many residents described a city transformed by fear, uncertainty and declining incomes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/74caff2c-3abd-4f3e-8e7a-b846cd2ea355/IMG_9835.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear Pascasie Habonimana, 45, sells uburobe — cassava bread wrapped in banana leaves — at a market in Bujumbura. The mother of 11 said her income had fallen by half since the start of the crisis. "Now my children only eat once a day," she said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/00d52d7a-d21f-44ae-83bd-e94e5894c702/IMG_9839.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear Bundles of uburobe, a cassava bread wrapped in banana leaves and sold throughout Burundi. Sales of the staple food had declined sharply as household incomes fell and customers struggled to afford basic necessities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e1f110fd-f182-491a-9eca-d62946bcbe27/IMG_9841.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear Pascasie Habonimana, 45. "Because we have become so poor, this year, I think my children won't be able to go to school," she said. "How can I send them to school with an empty stomach?" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/86524aa3-c9e9-4f71-afb7-20d7dc6cffc3/IMG_9843.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear Shadows fall across a basket of uburobe, a cassava bread wrapped in banana leaves and sold in markets across Burundi. As violence spread and fears of civil war grew in 2015, many Burundians withdrew savings, curtailed spending and struggled to afford basic necessities. The crisis pushed the country into recession, placing additional strain on a population already heavily dependent on agriculture and informal trade. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/fd331950-ac02-4dae-ac68-a71fee2e8797/IMG_9844.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear Consa, 75, sorts lenga-lenga and amaranth leaves for sale at a market in Bujumbura. Like many traders, she reported struggling to find customers as the political crisis increasingly affected household spending. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/06e3fd48-593a-4b73-a542-a6de04ebc7de/IMG_9855.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear Consa prepares vegetables for sale. Market traders described a sharp decline in customers as insecurity and economic hardship spread across the city. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7eb6dac1-42ef-4373-a949-4db34c23fc88/IMG_9860.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear Consa, 75, whose livelihood depends on selling vegetables at local markets. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/cbda7957-d9d9-4b91-bfb2-d56abdaab976/IMG_9819.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear A commercial arcade in central Bujumbura. Business owners and shopkeepers reported fewer customers, reduced sales and growing concerns about the future as the crisis deepened. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/cfc9f2fe-ac01-4cb1-b544-18ca8b7fae10/IMG_9869.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear Packaged baked goods sit unsold on the shelves of the Fido Dido grocery store in Rohero I. Employees said products that would previously have sold within days had remained on shelves for months. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d5300237-0d14-45d3-8975-fde2fe2a9da8/IMG_9871.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear Imported food products line the shelves of the Fido Dido grocery store. Staff reported increasing difficulties sourcing goods from elsewhere in Burundi and neighbouring countries. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/154780c6-4ea1-49ed-ac4d-b06c224ef956/IMG_9882.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear Sales figures are recorded at the Fido Dido grocery store. Employees estimated customer numbers had fallen by around 25 percent since the beginning of the political crisis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/62063b09-f8bf-4c78-a031-e0d9ce008b65/IMG_9904.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear The Fido Dido grocery store in Rohero I, one of Bujumbura's oldest alimentation shops. Staff feared that declining sales and shortages could threaten the future of the business. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/7718ca99-c63c-4a8d-9e68-4c9acb8c6833/IMG_9889.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear Diomede, 35, stands inside the Fido Dido grocery store. "For now, there is no plan to change the way we work here, but we will have to endure whatever happens," he said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/cb9f2452-197c-4cc9-bdc4-67a29d3a7d3e/IMG_5586.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear Two guests sit in the breakfast area of the Safari Gate Hotel overlooking Lake Tanganyika. Before Burundi's political crisis, the hotel regularly hosted tourists, diplomats and business travellers. By August 2015, staff said occupancy had fallen dramatically as violence and instability kept visitors away. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/57f387f7-81f4-4158-986a-47b689a26c25/IMG_9793.JPG Photography Portfolio - The Cost of Fear Desire assists a guest at the Safari Gate Hotel in Bujumbura. Known among colleagues and visitors for going above and beyond for guests, the receptionist said the hotel had gone from being regularly full to hosting only a handful of customers at a time as political unrest and economic decline hit Burundi's tourism sector. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/permanent-threat-evidence-of-torture-in-burundi monthly 0.5 2026-06-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/57b653e7-255e-4f9d-a8c1-754fbe66968a/IMG_0234.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi P. Sinzinkayo sits during an interview arranged through APRODH in Bujumbura, Burundi, July 2015. According to testimony documented by human rights investigators, he was detained and tortured after being accused of involvement with anti-government vigilante groups. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/81f77cc8-a34f-44d1-a577-6835ee89d6a1/IMG_0249.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi Seen from behind during an interview, P. Sinzinkayo describes his detention and alleged torture to human rights investigators in Bujumbura. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/89344380-90b8-4025-8706-423841bf2641/IMG_0263.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi P. Sinzinkayo, left, walks with assistance following an interview. He reported ongoing difficulties walking and sitting following injuries sustained during detention. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a906481f-a71f-463b-b2a9-5a8004c01e8e/IMG_0268.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi P. Sinzinkayo reveals injuries that he alleged were sustained while in detention. In testimony recorded by human rights investigators, he described having a sand-filled five-litre container suspended from his testicles while being forced to stand on a nail-studded metal plank. The injuries resulted in lasting disability and severe pain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/ae76951b-e398-4ff4-8d0f-ed9db946d8ea/IMG_0272.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi Injuries visible on P. Sinzinkayo's lower body during documentation of torture allegations in Bujumbura, July 2015. He alleged that interrogators beat him repeatedly, forced him to stand on a board fitted with nails, and subjected him to other forms of torture while in detention. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/4890be9a-fe70-4bbe-aa0a-3cea34664f37/IMG_0275.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi P. Sinzinkayo fastens his belt after documenting injuries he alleged were sustained during torture in detention. The simple act of dressing caused visible pain. Weeks after his release, he was still struggling with the lasting effects of his injuries. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/fbe3568f-b449-4623-bfb2-4cf1dfcfa414/IMG_0277.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi The worn shoes of P. Sinzinkayo in a safe location in Bujumbura. Following his release, he reported losing his livelihood and living in fear of further arrest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/39cb0c72-064e-4aca-80c9-d07e2bc797ac/IMG_0280.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi P. Sinzinkayo covers his face during an emotional moment while recounting his detention and torture. Survivors interviewed by APRODH often described lasting psychological trauma alongside physical injuries. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/457da9ad-8e97-444f-800f-cba4112bf876/IMG_0281.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi P. Sinzinkayo, who claimed members of Burundi's intelligence agency forced him to lay on car battery acid, waits outside following an interview with investigators and support workers. "I was like dead". https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a3ae7693-1373-4f52-84a1-fda37d311c76/IMG_0288.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi Psychologist Christophe Nibasumba listens as torture survivor P. Sinzinkayo recounts his detention and alleged abuse at APRODH's offices in Bujumbura, Burundi, July 2015. Nibasumba, who treated him following his release, said the torture had left lasting psychological scars, including recurring flashbacks and a profound sense of diminished identity. "The torture has long-lasting effects and can be used like a permanent threat to other people." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/58745aaf-85c2-4a83-a19e-5ffb3e79a8e8/IMG_0302.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi I.N., a 51-year-old mother of five from the Mutakura district of Bujumbura, sits outside a safe location in July 2015. She said police shot her during a search of her home after accusing residents of hiding weapons and opposition fighters. "I thought they were going to kill us". https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/765549a0-7607-417c-a891-bd6644b547f1/IMG_0304.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi I.N. sits outside a safe location in Bujumbura weeks after being shot in the leg during a police operation. Following the attack, relatives and friends helped relocate her, her daughter and newborn grandchild to a secure location. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/018670de-d452-4395-adde-35307bddbebe/IMG_0292.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi I.N. rests outside a safe location in Bujumbura. After being shot in the thigh, she spent several days receiving treatment before being discharged on crutches. Months later, she continued to experience difficulty walking. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/87ee7c5c-6f99-4d89-9be1-3a7128f12b39/IMG_0299.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi A crutch leans beside I.N. outside a safe location where she was living following the shooting. Friends and relatives helped shelter her family after she fled her home in Mutakura. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/9fcc90b2-3dac-4de3-af80-f1da27269369/IMG_0291.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi A scar remains visible on the leg of I.N., a 51-year-old mother of five who said police shot her during a search of her home in Mutakura. Officers allegedly accused her of hiding weapons beneath a sheet covering her two-week-old grandchild. The bullet passed through her thigh and she continued to rely on crutches months later. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/b243eaba-0bc3-4e0b-92af-c74fdad9843e/IMG_0309.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi I.N. reveals dressings covering wounds on her thigh sustained during a police operation in Mutakura, Bujumbura. Before the shooting, she recalled telling officers: "I had no arms in the house, that my husband had died 11 years ago, and that if he found any man or arms in the house, he could go ahead and kill me." Moments later, she said, an officer shot her in the leg. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/dcad9b4c-b9ba-4c22-bb26-f1cb580bb2e9/IMG_9968.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi The entrance to APRODH (Association pour la Protection des Droits Humains et des Personnes Détenues) in Bujumbura. The organisation documented allegations of torture, unlawful detention and political violence during the 2015 crisis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/79bef0ce-683f-4409-acd7-5fe00bc13428/IMG_9983.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi Identity documents and case records gathered by APRODH during investigations into alleged human rights abuses in Burundi, July 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/d3eeacfa-b172-414b-9ba8-278f7b4e3b43/IMG_9989.JPG Photography Portfolio - Permanent Threat: Evidence of Torture in Burundi Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa, founder and president of APRODH, at the organisation's offices in Bujumbura, Burundi, July 2015. One of Burundi's most prominent human rights defenders, Mbonimpa spent years documenting torture, unlawful detention and political violence. Less than a month after this portrait was made, he survived an assassination attempt that left him critically injured. His son-in-law and son were later killed during the unrest, underscoring the personal cost of challenging abuses during Burundi's 2015 crisis. https://www.elsaabuchanan.com/photography/the-wives-and-mothers-of-srebrenica monthly 0.5 2026-06-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/9baa11b0-5a4e-4019-93bd-5d7edbb84a5d/IMG_2056+2.jpg Photography Portfolio - Those Who Remain: The Wives and Mothers of Srebrenica Saliha Osmanović at her home in Dobrak, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 2025. Thirty years after the Srebrenica genocide, she lives alone in the house where she once lived with her husband Ramo and sons Nermin and Edin. “You are all my children now,” she said of those who come to visit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/580e38bf-1329-4f17-8422-d0187984b2b7/IMG_1989.jpg Photography Portfolio - Those Who Remain: The Wives and Mothers of Srebrenica Saliha Osmanović in the kitchen of her home in Dobrak, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The routines of cooking, cleaning and preparing meals continue in a house shaped by memory and absence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e65c4811-62d6-4942-82d8-cb5f04040df3/IMG_2032.jpg Photography Portfolio - Those Who Remain: The Wives and Mothers of Srebrenica Saliha Osmanović holding a photograph of one of her murdered sons at her home in Dobrak, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her youngest son Edin was killed during the shelling of Srebrenica in July 1995. Days later, her husband Ramo and elder son Nermin were captured and murdered. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/e92524cc-7fd8-403e-b2d3-6cbdd6ddca40/IMG_2160.jpg Photography Portfolio - Those Who Remain: The Wives and Mothers of Srebrenica The names of Saliha Osmanović’s husband, Ramo, and sons, Ermin and Nermin, at the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial Centre. Thirty years after the genocide, she still speaks of them in the present tense. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/717daeab-7429-4d06-842e-03a63e7f656f/IMG_2043.jpg Photography Portfolio - Those Who Remain: The Wives and Mothers of Srebrenica The hands of Saliha Osmanović knitting at home in Dobrak, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She knits winter socks to help make ends meet. Each pair takes several days to complete, filling long hours with routine and work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/a918fbd1-3e67-40a5-9bff-4808d0dfa635/IMG_2021.jpg Photography Portfolio - Those Who Remain: The Wives and Mothers of Srebrenica Bread prepared by Saliha Osmanović in her kitchen in Dobrak, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She welcomed visitors with food and coffee, acts of hospitality that continue despite decades of loss and solitude. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/85343861-6d0b-4e88-a6f7-6f6b308a8dc2/IMG_2025.jpg Photography Portfolio - Those Who Remain: The Wives and Mothers of Srebrenica Family photographs in the home of Saliha Osmanović in Dobrak, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Many of the images date from before 1995 and are among the few photographs she has left of her husband and sons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/6e544b02-a443-4f7e-bda8-f96a12bb1136/IMG_2062.jpg Photography Portfolio - Those Who Remain: The Wives and Mothers of Srebrenica Saliha Osmanović seated in her living room in Dobrak, Bosnia and Herzegovina. “I lost two sons and a husband. I returned here alone,” she said. She chose to come back because living there keeps her closest to them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/40c1ac9e-508f-4ffd-adb2-93b020bd40a5/IMG_2024.jpg Photography Portfolio - Those Who Remain: The Wives and Mothers of Srebrenica Cigarettes and a glass on the table in the home of Saliha Osmanović in Dobrak, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Without her family around her, she said cigarettes have become her daily companions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/c5c9cef4-e2dd-4b78-b356-500188ffb0e6/IMG_2093.JPG Photography Portfolio - Those Who Remain: The Wives and Mothers of Srebrenica Saliha Osmanović standing in the doorway of her home in Dobrak, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on a winter evening. She returned to the family house after the war, saying she felt closer to her husband and sons there, and could still dream of them coming home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69e8a17528079272b9fa0069/cf445428-1a97-47fe-be5d-de03d50d16c9/IMG_2100.JPG Photography Portfolio - Those Who Remain: The Wives and Mothers of Srebrenica The home of Saliha Osmanović in Dobrak, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Thirty years after the genocide, she remains in the house where her family once lived together. “Life goes on. 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