Category: General News

First Place

Shawn Yuan / Freelance
“Escape”

Second Place

Ibraheem Mustafa / Reuters
“Religion–Ramadan”

Third Place

Paul Hansen / Dagens Nyheter
“Country of Tears”

Award of Excellence

Nicolas Asfouri / Agence France-Presse
“Hong Kong–China–Politics–Unrest–Crime”

Award of Excellence

Brendan Smialowski / Agence France-Presse
“Cover”

Award of Excellence

Michael Robinson Chavez / The Washington Post
“Untitled”

Award of Excellence

Ramon Espinosa / Associated Press
“Shattered by Dorian”

Third Place

“Country of Tears”

Rehema Baranyeretse is ten years old. Every morning her mother leaves her alone at home to care for her twin siblings, both 3 years. Many women make a meager and hard living the same way Rehemas mother does. They are called "les femmes transporteuses" in French and "babeba mizigo" in swahili. However, in whichever language you use, the carrier-women of Congo has many burdens. In a single household, being absent and giving your ten year old daughter an adult's responsibility is one of them.

One morning Rehema was making breakfast for her siblings and the open flame from the fire caught her dress, burning her severely. The family cannot afford a gas stove. Now she is in a local hospital run by a small NGO. They cannot afford the fees and are run deeper in debt every day.