Darabala Abdel Hadi, 61, is seen fixing his fishing nets in his house in Fayoum, Egypt, on September 8, 2022. He is one of the victims of the deterioration of the lake, having worked as a fisherman for 20 years alongside his father in the area of Lake Qarun. The fish stocks in the lake have sharply declined due to severe pollution. Despite this, he has chosen to settle between Aswan and Fayoum, as he is unwilling to leave his land and roots. This displacement has resulted in the loss of ancestral roots and a deep emotional connection to the land. ©Fatma Fahmy for the VII Mentor Program.
A woman Ajab Muhammad Miftah, 54, poses for a portrait in his house where she lives, in the village of Ezbat Soliman, Fayoum, Egypt, Sep 22, 2022. Two hands of her daughter support her after she lost her husband and two of his young sons in a microbus accident during their trip to Aswan, The trips of the fishermen from Fayoum governorate, in search of a living, in Lake Nasser in the Aswan governorate, which is more than 825 km from Fayoum, turned into trips for death after they had to abandon Lake Qarun, from which they used to fish, due to the high pollution rates in the area. ©Fatma Fahmy for the VII Mentor Program.
A goat wanders near a mining area near Randfontein, on June 26, 2020, . The mines are a critical cog in South Africa's already struggling economy, contributing eight percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Africa's most industrialized economy, This industry has caused and will continue to cause effect on water system like Vaal River system and pose a serious threat to future generations of South Africans. ©Fatma Fahmy for the VII Mentor Program.
©Fatma Fahmy for the VII Mentor Program.
©Fatma Fahmy for the VII Mentor Program.
Fahmy
Arafaat, 27, from Ethiopia. While she was 4 months pregnant, she and her husband left their country along with each of their families and moved to Egypt. Due to widespread political persecution, her husband disappeared in 2019. She was alone, looking for her husband throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but he didn't come home until recently. Arafaat said, "We became strangers in Egypt and lived some hard times, but being with my husband makes it much better." Jun. 27, 2021. ©Fatma Fahmy for the VII Mentor Program.
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Egypt, Cairo
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Fatma Fahmy

VII Mentor Program 2023-24

Fatma Fahmy is an independent visual storyteller based in Cairo, Egypt. She earned her B.A. degree in Chemical Engineering from Cairo University in 2013. Her work focuses on environmental concerns and social issues that are influenced by factors such as the environment and migration. She is also a contributor to Reuters.

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