20 November, 2023, Balkh: Young women participate in a two-year midwifery training program run by the United Nations Population Fund and the Agency for Assistance and Development of Afghanistan. The women from remote villages in Northern Afghanistan with high maternal mortality rates will return to their home villages to work as midwives after completing their training. The ban on women taking nursing and midwifery courses, imposed in December 2024, will effectively deprive Afghan women of maternal healthcare.
Series Description: With a small number of trained midwives, Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. The country is facing a humanitarian crisis, with high poverty, food shortages and fluctuations in foreign aid. Further, in December 2024, the Taliban banned women from midwifery courses. The situation is especially dire in the Northeastern province of Badakhshan, a remote mountain region with poor roads and minimal medical infrastructure. This series tells the story of Afghan midwives who struggle to save the lives of mothers and newborn babies living with insufficient medical care. The photographer has previously documented the work of midwives in different parts of the world such as Bolivia and Japan, and feels a sense of urgency in bringing public awareness to the crucial role of midwives in Afghanistan’s complex environment.
Prestiżowy tytuł Fotografa Roku 2025 przyznano znanemu brytyjskiemu fotografowi Zedowi Nelsonowi za cykl The Anthropocene Illusion (Złudzenie antropocenu). Zwycięzca otrzymał nagrodę pieniężną w wysokości 25 000 dolarów, cyfrowy sprzęt fotograficzny firmy Sony oraz możliwość zaprezentowania dodatkowych prac na wystawie Sony World Photography Awards 2026.
