Under a highway connecting the city center of Jakarta with Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, 4 illegal settlements have grown over the course of 30 years. Homes are integrated into the highway's concrete. Some have tiles or truck banners laid out on the ground, and wooden and metal walls divide the individual partitions. Doors and windows provide some privacy and protection for what few possessions they have. Others live in communal spaces deep beneath the roadways, with woolen blankets marking the individual living spaces. Lurking in the highway’s shadow, natural light is luxury and most families bribe workers of local electricity providers to get electricity into their homes. Many came from far-flung provinces of the country to try their luck in the big city, and are not even registered, as these neighbourhoods were built illegally. This story provides a little insight into this coexistence.

Since January 2015 this enduring documentary project is showing the emerging skate subculture of Ethiopia. Several communities are teaching kids of Ethiopia how to skate, providing them access to skate gear and to spots where skate sessions are organized for youth from all backgrounds. These teenagers are stable and strong. Skateboarding connects them as a community, builds their confidence encourages their individual creativity and takes them “off the streets“ to establish a peaceful and vibrant generation in Ethiopia. My desire is to show their passion and drive and further down the road help them to fulfil their dreams, which might be very well becoming pro skaters; or at the very least help to grow their scene to get children off the streets and onto the skateboards.

The coexistence of indigenous tribes and modern medicine.  Women of the indigenous tribes in the Omo-Valley often have a long journey ahead of them before giving birth.  As their villages are sometimes days away from medical help, more and more women of the indigenous tribes in the Omo-Valley address maternity wards at regional medical posts, to reduce possible birth complications, including the death of the unborn child or the mother. Once arrived, they spend several days within these harmonious centers, where they find rest and support among sisterhood. 

For over two years, a devastating war ravaged Tigray and neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara, fuelled by the pursuit of independence from the government in Addis Ababa. The toll was staggering, with an estimated 600,000 lives lost, yet the Western world remained largely unaware of this tragedy. The crisis region was tightly sealed off, impeding much-needed aid shipments to reach those in desperate need. Hunger claimed many lives as conflict prevented the cultivation of fields. Approximately two million people sought refuge, finding temporary shelter in IDP (Internal Displaced Persons) camps encircling the conflict zone. Though these camps provided a roof over their heads, the conditions were far from ideal. NGOs stepped in to offer medical care, but the hygienic standards were often inadequate. Additionally, the aftermath of malnutrition haunted many survivors. I was tasked with documenting the efforts of humedica NGO in providing healthcare within these IDP camps through mobile health posts. Their mission extended to the restoration of healthcare services in regional medical clinics that had been either abandoned or destroyed during the war. This narrative sheds light on the resilience of those affected and the crucial role played by humanitarian organisations in rebuilding shattered communities.

The flats in the Cilincing building were founded in 1996 by the Indonesian state-owned port company PT. Pelindo. Originally built to provide local housing for dockworkers, it soon became a relocation site for families from cleared slums. Only 25 years later, the flats have fallen into disrepair. According to the residents, the management never carried out any renovation work. Indeed, the condition of the roof of Block A seems anything but solid and water leaks from the perforated roof when it rains. Moreover, although many residents take care to keep their houses clean, there is a lot of rubbish lying around. In addition, the Cilincing Flats also have security problems, including motorbike theft.

On November 21 a 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit the Indonesian town of Cianjur. The earthquake had impacted a total of 117,068 individuals. Among them were 338 reported fatalities and 7,193 injured. 62,628 damaged houses, including 398 schools, 160 places of worship and 14 health facilities left 73,874 displaced without a home to return to. Fearing aftershocks, even those whose homes were spared slept in makeshift tents.

This series was shot on Lebak Baten, an island in the river Ciberang, in the wider Jakarta area, Indonesia. I was embedded to a local Emergency Medical Team, giving treatments to victims of a flood and to distribute food packages and cleaning kits. On New Year's Day the worst rains in 150 years hit the surroundings of Jakarta and flooded wide parts of the region. The water rose up to three meters high, cars, buses and even bridges made of steel, were washed away as if they were toys. Many houses were totally destroyed. Hundreds of thousands were affected by the floods. Many of them could not return to their homes and had to look for shelter in temporary emergency accommodations. 66 died. Sea level rise caused by ClimateChange also exacerbated the intensity of the flood and is causing together with extreme rainfalls more frequent floods in Jakarta.

On December 22, 2018, a devastating tsunami struck the coasts of Pandeglang and South Lampung, triggered by the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait. The catastrophe resulted in significant loss and destruction: 426 fatalities, 7,202 injuries, 23 individuals reported missing, 40,386 people displaced, and approximately 1,300 homes demolished by the powerful waves. Amidst this tragedy, I was deployed as part of a Humedica Emergency Medical Team collaborating with the local Karya Alpha Omega Foundation to provide urgent assistance to the affected communities. These poignant images capture the plight of displaced families and survivors who sought refuge and medical aid in the aftermath of the disaster. Despite enduring injuries, homelessness, and the loss of loved ones, their resilient spirit and faith in destiny have enabled them to find solace in their survival amidst the devastation.

Jijiga is the capital of Ethiopia's Somali Region...

In November 2017 I was sent by humedica NGO to document their medical clinic in Dus, a small Kara village in the Omo Valley, that was established in 2016 and offers continuous medical support for the surrounding villages. With a population of less than 3000 the Kara are one of the smallest indigenous people in Ethiopia, they grow crops on partitioned farm lands with an efficient irrigation system and graze their herds of goats, sheep and cattle on the east bank of the Omo River. When the first group of Kara we met, saw my camera, they thought that I'm a tourist willing to pay for photos. But Trudy, the clinic's coordinator made clear that I belong to the "family" and soon the whole village knew my name and was accepting my presence to document their day to day life and the clinics routine to establish a better health care!

Back in 2016 I started documenting projects for NGOs in Ethiopia. Some are sponsorship programs that offer extra tuition and all-day care for children so that their parents can go to work. Sanitary articles, equipment and opportunities for education, access to medical care and further training are provided too. In addition parents can receive financial aid to start a small business of their own. Other projects concentrate on support and education for orphans and young people in need or help women to find empowerment through employment. From infancy right through to adolescence, young people receive all the care and guidance they need to become happy, inspired young adults and the chance of a better future through education.

Most of Moscow’s pedestrian underpasses are housing tiny glass-windowed kiosks selling almost everything under the sun. For some they're just hated momentos of the past, but many Moscovites find in them convenient places to shop.

Located at playa bonita in Las Terrenas (Samaná, Dominican Republic) it was founded by Johannes Kestler, a former professional basketball player from Germany. He arrived ten years ago to the Dominicans and started the Surf School as a project to support local surfers and to give them a job related to their passion, Surfing. Ever since he's also introducing teenagers of poorer families to the surf sport of which some became very talented surfers and are part of his staff now. "The best surfer is the one who has the most fun!”

The Eerste River Hospital is a district hospital located in the Khayelitsha Eastern Sub-Structure of Capetown. The hospital provides a comprehensive range of medical services to people in the Townships of Capetown and its surrounding communities. The hospital has a 124 bed capacity with inpatient wards for surgery, medicine, paediatrics and psychiatry. The Emergency Centre treats an average of 1733 patients each month while 3419 clients are seen in it's outpatient clinics. It is however the surgical services that make Eerste River Hospital exceptional. In 2004/2005 I was allowed to document the hospital with a free pass to all rooms. To make that report complete I started to document the townships in which most of its patients live in. Later in 2005 these images were exhibited at the Hospital.