2012. Yara and her friends prepare a dance number during a blackout shortly after the 2012 war. Fuel is scarce in Gaza and, at this time in 2012, families were receiving six to eight hours of electricity a day. Today, Gaza will run out of fuel to run its power station in two days, according to officials who warned it will see homes and hospitals plunged into darkness after the most intense bouts of fighting since the 2014 war.
Today, the tenth day of conflict, bombings continue in the territory. According to Gaza health officials, at least 63 children are among the 217 Palestinians who have been killed in Gaza since the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas began on May 10. On the Israeli side, 12 people have been killed by Hamas rockets, all but one of them civilians, including a 5-year-old boy. Around the world, leaders are calling for a ceasefire.
As someone who’s spent time covering Gaza, my heart is broken for the beautiful people who live on such tragedy. Thinking of all of you 🕊 🔑#gaza #gazastrip #palestine
The Kiev City Ballet left Ukraine for a planned two-week tour, but after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine- they are among other displaced artists who have become the ‘voice of resistance’ amid a greater struggle
I went on tour with the Kiev City Ballet earlier this month for @natgeo as they stoically continued to perform The Nutcracker, while receiving updates and dispatches from home.
The troupe, which is based in Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv, left for France on February 23 for a planned two-week tour performing a child’s version of The Nutcracker. On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of their country. The conflict has now killed thousands and displaced nearly three million people. The ballet dancers are currently living in Paris at the city’s Théâtre du Châtelet for a period whose end seems further and further away.
“We were totally unprepared for this,” says Kozlova. The company brought only enough costumes for the shows it was originally scheduled to perform. Beyond that, says Kozlova, “We didn't bring anything. We don't have music, videos, documents—everything we have is left in Kyiv... We basically just psychologically said goodbye to everything that we have.”
text by Madeleine Schwartz
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For years, France’s soccer federation has banned players participating in competitions from wearing conspicuous religious symbols such as hijabs, a rule it contends is in keeping with the organization’s strict secular values. Although the ban is loosely enforced at the amateur level, it has hung over Muslim women’s players for years, shattering their hopes of professional careers and driving some away from the game altogether.
In an ever more multicultural France, where women’s soccer is booming, the ban has also sparked a growing backlash. At the forefront of the fight is @leshijabeuses a group of young hijab-wearing soccer players from different teams who have joined forces to campaign against what they describe as a discriminatory rule that excludes Muslim women from sports.
But, on the soccer field, everyone seems to agree that hijabs should be allowed.
“Nobody minds if they play with it,” said Rana Kenar, 17, a Sarcelles player who had come to watch her team face Diakité’s club on a bitterly cold February evening. Text by Constant Méheut
I spent the last few months covering this story for the @nytimes , and am so grateful to work for a publication and with editors like @esw_viz that understand not only the importance of this story, but the time it takes to do reportage like this. Thank you so much!
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I photographed Camp Homeward Bound for @nytimes — a sleep-away camp for children experiencing homelessness. Beautifully written by @sarahmaslinnir , linked in bio.
Located 45 miles north of New York City, Camp Homeward Bound is believed to be the longest-running sleep-away camp in the country created exclusively for children experiencing homelessness. Each summer, about 360 children, ages 7 to 15, spend 16 days at the camp — at no cost to their families. The actual expense, roughly $4,000 per camper, is entirely covered by donations.
Counselors are trained by social workers and mental health professionals to help children cope with the trauma of homelessness. Equally essential are the junior counselors — all of whom are former campers who once experienced homelessness themselves, offering both empathy and hope.
On a serene Friday in July, campers splashed in the lake, poked at beetles, and laughed in the woods. “So many of these kids have been devalued and dehumanized just going through the shelter experience,” said Dave Giffen, executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless. “To be able to come to a place like this, where they don’t have to hide or worry, is a truly freeing experience.”
One 13-year-old girl from Queens proudly showed off a blue wristband that allowed her to dive into the deepest part of the lake. Just two summers ago, she couldn’t swim. She recalled how terrifying it had been, at age 10, to ford rivers and ride an ocean raft while fleeing Venezuela with her family. Learning to swim here, she said, feels like reclaiming a piece of herself.”
Nikita Kakkad decided against attending medical school in Texas due to the state’s restrictions on abortion care. I photographed Kakkad as part of the @dallasnews interactive feature in the impact the abortion ban has had on the state.
The Association of American Medical Colleges saw decreased residency applications in states where abortion is restricted during the 2023-2024 application cycle, with larger declines in states with complete bans. Texas OB-GYN residency applications fell 16% over that time.
Residency program directors already say they are receiving more questions from applicants about their curricula and specifically about access to abortion training. Inquiries suggest some medical students will forgo applying to Texas programs entirely in the future.
Nikita Kakkad, a second-year medical student in New York City, left Texas because she worried the abortion laws would result in limited abortion training — or none at all.
Kakkad, who is from Austin, wants to practice in Texas eventually, but she’s unsure when that day will come. Residency in Texas is out of the question. Like an athlete, she needs enough reps to guarantee she can handle any pregnancy-related emergency, including ones that necessitate termination in the second trimester. Because that is not a guarantee in Texas, Kakkad said the state is sabotaging its workforce pipeline.
“I’m motivated and I’m passionate. I want to be a doctor and I want to provide care to underserved communities. And I want to do primary care,” Kakkad said. “You’re losing a provider that would want to be in primary care in your state because of your restrictions.”
Slightly behind in social media but I’m so excited for this image to be part of @statnews ‘s Most Memorable Photos of 2023! Throughout my public health masters program I researched and documented community baby showers in New York City and their potential to improve birth outcomes through outreach end education. Thanks Alissa Ambrose for the opportunity and @theiwmf for funding this story.
CAPTION: Expectant parents participate in a raffle at the Betances Health Center community baby shower in New York in February. There were nearly 130 attendees and a long waiting list. It is Betances’ third community baby shower, says organizer Liberkys Rivas, who notes that the events play a crucial role for patient outreach. Read the story: “More than celebrations, community baby showers can also be prenatal care — and could save lives.”
MONIQUE JAQUES FOR STAT
I photographed my 2022 NYC Marathon journey for the @nytimes . One woman said it was worse than childbirth. Several people had passed out, or laid out, near the Queensboro Bridge. And my heart was racing. I was in tears.
Last year’s New York City Marathon — the hottest in 51 years — was brutal. Everyone agreed that it felt as though New York was against us.
This year, temperatures on marathon Sunday are in the low 60s, ideal running conditions. If only we had been so lucky.
Thanks to everyone who helped me that day and since! It’s been a JOURNEY getting into this sport and there aren’t enough words for the family I’ve made along the way. Can’t wait for next year! @bridgerunners@southbrooklynrc@oldmanrunclub .
My last story for @nytimes sports section centered on the joy and excitement the @nyliberty brings to Barclays- and this hometown team is going to the @wnba finals! It’s so fitting to me that all of my assignments this summer have been about teams that are less known but still contain all the joy (if not more) than major sports teams as I’ve spent. OST of my time at the sports desk focusing on alternative or up and coming sports-but more about that in a bit. For now lets congratulate @nyliberty ! I’m so excited for the finals!
Summer in the city means a lot of things to New Yorkers, but it’s hard to top a baseball game in Coney Island with the @brooklyncyclones .
I spent a weekend with the best baseball team in New York for the @nytimes which promises fun for all with theme nights, hot dog races, affordable seats close to the action, all-you-can-drink backyard parties, and everyone gets to run the bases.
A dream assignment for a fan like me. Written by Matt Martell and editing by @esw_viz
Morocco advances to knockout stage for first time in Women's World Cup history!
_________
The Moroccan women’s team is serving as an inspiration and a measurable source of pride at home and abroad.
This spring I went to Prague for the @nytimes to document a friendly game between the Moroccan women's team and Czechia and meet the inspirational players. Morocco is the first Women’s World Cup qualifier from North Africa, and the first from a majority Arab nation. Still, its squad was little known even to most Moroccans before it hosted the event that served as the continent’s World Cup qualifying tournament on home soil last July. As it posted win after win, however, the country’s stadiums started to fill with fans, many of them seeing the team play for the first time.
Morocco’s presence in Australia this month is a testament to the efforts to develop women’s soccer.
Nesryne El Chad, a 20-year-old central defender, grew up in Saint-Étienne, France, a city steeped in soccer. The daughter of Moroccan immigrants, she learned the game playing against boys during recess when she was at school. When her family traveled to Morocco during summer vacations, she said she would buy a ball from a shop and play on the beach.
When she was 12, her parents realized she might be talented enough to have a future in soccer, so her mother enrolled her in a sports study program and made sure she was excused from some of the household chores that her siblings had to do, so that she could rest on Sundays before games. Her father, a black belt in karate, initially resisted the idea of a soccer-focused future for Nesryne — until, she said, his own mother told him to let her play. He ended up taking her to every practice, and every game, and is now one of her most fervent supporters.It was never a question, she said, which country’s colors she would wear if given the chance.
“I was raised feeling Moroccan,” she said. “I always wanted to play for Morocco.”
Text by the outstanding Aida Alami, editing by @esw_viz . 🇲🇦 ⚽️
