Writing

My reporting puts people, communities and their experiences first.

I seek out stories about environment or human rights issues, and where they intertwine, and try to put the people and communities most affected by these issues at the heart of the story.

In 2021, I received a grant from the local TOA-GK (Todos los Ojos en la Amazonia) for In-depth Journalism in the Amazon, and in 2018 was a recipient of the Casa Socio-Environmental Fund for environmental reporting.

Some select publications:

  • Signs of lasting trauma in people evicted to make way for giant mine in Ecuador (The Guardian)

    Signs of lasting trauma in people evicted to make way for giant mine in Ecuador (The Guardian)

    TSUNTSUIM, ECUADOR – Months after they were evicted from their homes to make way for a mine, almost half the population of an Ecuadorian village is suffering from psychological damage, experts have said. Psychiatrists found 42% of the indigenous Shuar people of Tsuntsuim village suffering from mental health problems and trauma. Many of the villagers…

  • Bamboo Houses: Rebuilding a Sustainable Community (Zoomin TV)

    Bamboo Houses: Rebuilding a Sustainable Community (Zoomin TV)

    RAMBUCHE, ECUADOR – A new step in sustainable architecture – After the major earthquake hit Ecuador in 2016, many people on the coast are still living in tents or makeshift homes out of scraps of wood and metal sheets. But some organizations are helping rebuild homes out of bamboo – a flexible material that´s resistant to…

  • Earthquake In Ecuador: Women In Crisis Band Together (Argot Magazine)

    Earthquake In Ecuador: Women In Crisis Band Together (Argot Magazine)

    BAHIA DE CARAQUEZ, ECUADOR – Andrea Quijije Garcia lost her home in the earthquake that hit Ecuador’s coast last year, and spent almost two weeks sleeping on the floor of a local church. She shared the small space with at least 40 other families. Most of them had to stay long after Garcia left, since…

  • Abortion Escorts in Ecuador are Breaking the Silence (Ms. Magazine Blog)

    QUITO, ECUADOR – Las Comadres—which loosely translates as The Godmothers, or “a very close friend”—is a feminist group fighting back against the nation’s restrictive abortion laws. Members accompany women through their abortion procedures and provide them with medical and legal information. Last weekend, they ran their first national workshop walking women through the process. The…

  • What would you do if you had “nature’s pharmacy” in your backyard? (Mongabay)

    What would you do if you had “nature’s pharmacy” in your backyard? (Mongabay)

    TAMIA YURA, ECUADOR – Benjamin Mamallacta Alvarado and his wife Dalia Tapuy were both recently sick, but instead of going to a pharmacy to pick up medication, they went into their backyard, which just happens to be in the Amazon rainforest. Born and raised in the Amazon, Alvarado has been using medicinal plants all his…