Rebecca Gaal
“Patricia is a 13yr old who lives in the village of Marofototra on the island of Madagascar. I lived with Patricia and her family while working on a long term project exploring nutrition and food security. Although Patricia attends school and plays with the other village children, she has a lot of responsibilities. She spends hours daily harvesting food for her family. The combination of climate change and over-fishing have had devastating impacts on local communities who rely on fishing for survival. Food sources in Madagascar are incredibly scarce and coastal communities get most of their nutrition from the ocean.”
Rebecca Gaal is a humanitarian and conservation photographer, painter, illustrator, writer and student of International Public Health studies. She is devoted to examining healthcare issues, environmental concerns and the relationships between the two. Gaals’ passion is long-term, in-depth projects where she can watch the progression or degradation between man, medicine, nature and its inhabitants. Gaals’ work aims to show the interconnectedness of issues, to help create better understanding and find solutions. The hope is that with understanding, empathy and change have a chance to grow.