our mission

The VII Foundation is committed to in-depth journalism covering the crucial issues of our time. In a world where beliefs and actions are increasingly out-of-sync with facts and realities, our response is to ensure the truth is documented to enable communities worldwide to make evidence-based choices about the challenges impacting their lives. 

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Long lines for water and flour are made by women of refugee families. © Ebrahim Alipoor for the VII Mentor Program.
Members of a Ukrainian tank crew from the 42nd Brigade eat lunch in a bunker on the frontline in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, December 30, 2023. © Finbarr O’Reilly / VII.
© Ali Arkady / VII.

our work

The VII Foundation empower new voices through education, especially from under-resourced regions where press freedom is limited and journalists are vulnerable. We train practitioners to cover their local communities and global problems, and we produce large-scale and long-term documentary projects that advocate change and detail solutions. We bring new and neglected perspectives to the public agenda and host conversations that campaign for a diverse, safe and viable profession, especially for freelancers worldwide. 

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upcoming event
Jalalabad, Nangarhar, Afghanistan, February 12, 2024. © Kiana Hayeri
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Jan
30
2025

Documenting Women’s Rights in Afghanistan, with Kiana Hayeri and Mélissa Cornet

What does life look like for women in Afghanistan today, following twenty years of U.S. occupation and the Taliban’s rapid return to power?
upcoming event
Photographer Smita Sharma speaks during 'Session 2' at TEDWomen 2021: What Now? © Marla Aufmuth / TED
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Jan
23
2025

Present Your Work: Public Speaking Tips from Smita Sharma

Join award-winning photojournalist Smita Sharma for an inspiring webinar. A TED Fellow, Smita will share practical tips to help you present your work and improve your public speaking skills.
View out over a refugee camp in Adre, a border town in the Ouaddaï province in Chad. Overcrowded and unsanitary conditions in Adre have led to a severe health crisis, with over 1,200 cases of Hepatitis E reported, including three fatalities, by July 2024. Photo by Nicolò Filippo Rosso
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Dec
03
2024

Covering Sudan’s Refugee Camps: How Nicolò Filippo Rosso and Finbarr O’Reilly documented an overlooked humanitarian crisis

In 2024, Nicolò Filippo Rosso and Finbarr O’Reilly documented refugee camps in Chad.

featured stories


Wife to a disappeared individual ( firoz khan), A single mother fights against financial crisis and mental trauma to ensure basic education for her child, living in a congested, dark room. Firoz Khan was abducted in 2012. The photograph was taken in Pirujpur, on September 15, 2022. © Mosfiqur Johan.
Wife to a disappeared individual ( firoz khan), A single mother fights against financial crisis and mental trauma to ensure basic education for her child, living in a congested, dark room. Firoz Khan was abducted in 2012. The photograph was taken in Pirujpur, on September 15, 2022. © Mosfiqur Johan.
2024 W. Eugene Smith Student Grant Recipient →
"Memories of Disappearance" by Mosfiqur Rahman Johan has been awarded the 2024 W. Eugene Smith Student Grant. This project critically examines the rise of enforced disappearances in Bangladesh since 2012, placing it within broader contexts of state violence and political control.
Hasti Rezaei,17, is Iran's youngest female motocross rider. She began riding at the age of nine, was Iran's female motocross champion from 2021 to 2022, and has been a national and regional motocross champion several times. Hasti goes to the track every weekend. “Some believe that it is a masculine sport and it is dangerous for women," she says. "They ask me, ‘Aren't you afraid? What if you got injured?’” Injury is only part of the risk. Though women can drive cars in Iran, it is illegal to have a motorcycle license in cities. © Forough Alaei.
Hasti Rezaei,17, is Iran's youngest female motocross rider. She began riding at the age of nine, was Iran's female motocross champion from 2021 to 2022, and has been a national and regional motocross champion several times.
Hasti goes to the track every weekend. “Some believe that it is a masculine sport and it is dangerous for women," she says. "They ask me, ‘Aren't you afraid? What if you got injured?’” Injury is only part of the risk. Though women can drive cars in Iran, it is illegal to have a motorcycle license in cities. © Forough Alaei.
2024 Leica Oskar Barnack Award →
The 2024 Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA) has recognized several talented photographers, including three members of The VII Foundation network. Among the winners and shortlisted photographers are Forough Alaei, an alumna of the VII Mentor Program (2019–2021); contributing photographer Anush Babajanyan; and Ksenia Ivanova, who participated in the 2022 Fellows Program.

alumni network


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