Girls’ rights in Za’atari Camp
Working with Save the Children, I spent a week with a group of teenage girls in Za’atari Refugee Camp, home to over 80,000 Syrian refugees in the Jordanian desert. Some told us how their families escaped the civil war carrying them as babies - for many, camp life was all they had known. The girls’ empowerment centre was a place where they could forget their troubles and express themselves through art, writing and martial arts. These classes were a form of catharsis that helped the girls feel strong.
Published by the Guardian
Somewhere To Call Home
I have worked for British housing charity, Shelter, for ten years, illustrating housing issues and case studies, as they tackle the UK's housing crisis.
In Britain today, six million households are denied the right to a safe home, or are threatened with losing it. 4750 people sleep on the streets on any given night. 90,000 households are stuck in unsuitable temporary accommodation, such as bedsits and hostels.
A Young Democracy
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 following a period of civil war and the collapse of Somalia’s government. Although the country remains internationally unrecognised, it has established a working democracy, government institutions, a police force and its own currency, becoming a beacon of peace in a volatile region. I was commissioned to cover the territory’s past two elections, during which the atmosphere of this conservative Muslim state - in which an estimated 70 percent of the population is aged under 30 - transformed into a cacophony of colour and noise.
Published by Al Jazeera
Modern Slavery
It is estimated that tens of thousands of people are kept in slavery in the UK. Modern slavery can take many forms, including domestic servitude, forced sexual exploitation and forced labour on farms, in construction, car washes, shops, nail bars, or manufacturing.
Commissioned by the British Red Cross, I worked with case workers and actors to recreate real stories and scenarios of modern slavery in the UK.
The Road to Cappadocia
A story of lovers adrift in Turkey.
Images commissioned by TANK MAGAZINE to accompany a short fiction piece by award-winning British Somali author Nadifa Mohamed.
Cappadocia is a historical region of Central Anatolia, Turkey. Famous for its rock formations and natural beauty, its networks of underground caves were home to early Christians seeking to evade persecution.
Climate Crisis in Somalia
Recurring drought and erratic rain patterns mean that many pastoralist families in Somalia have lost their livestock and therefore, their livelihoods. As a result, increasing numbers are moving to towns and cities to look for work, some joining those already displaced by civil war, in sprawling camps.
I documented the experiences of children displaced by Somalia's climate emergency, as they adjusted to a new and uncertain life. Some worried for the welfare of their malnourished younger siblings, others mourned their nomadic culture, and many dreamed of an education and a brighter future for their families. Shot for Save the Children.
Communities
For over ten years I have worked with diverse communities across the UK, capturing education, healthcare and everyday life in situations that often require great sensitivity.
I have worked with children’s charities such as Save the Children in schools and homes, as well as with students from prestigious Universities such as London Business School. I have documented end-of-life care in Hospices for Marie Curie and followed community nurses across England and Northern Ireland for the Queen’s Nursing Institute. I have worked extensively with Mencap across Britain to document the joys and challenges of life with a learning disability.
