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      Photograph by Anja Ligtenberg from: PONGEZI: Alternative rites of passage for Maasai girls

SDN Presents Ten Exhibits Honoring Women on International Women's Day    
Anja Ligtenberg
PONGEZI: Alternative rites of passage for Maasai girls>>
by Anja Ligtenberg/ Kenya

A photo story by Anja Ligtenberg about alternative rites of passage, replacing traditional circumcision with education for Maasai girls in Kenya. Pongezi means congratulations in Swahili. Congratulations to the girls who are now women without being circumcised and to a community that ...

Madeline Cottingham _
Peer>>
by Madeline Cottingham/ United States

On April 14, 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls, between the ages of 16 and 18, from the town of Chibok. The Nigerian government has so far proven powerless in their pursuit of the militant organization that now controls most of northeastern Nigeria. None of the girls have been rescued and ...

Susan Kessler
Peruvian Weavers>>
by Susan Kessler/ Peru

High in the Andes Mountains of Peru, lies the rural village of Patacancha. Here the villagers dress in traditional clothing, speak the ancient language of "Quechua", and live in much the same way as their ancestors did. They support themselves through farming, and raising livestock...

Michele Zousmer
Invisible Voices>>
by Michele Zousmer/ United States

I have been given the privilege of documenting incarcerated women who have been selected to be in a special reentry program. This has changed my attitude and my perception of these ladies which I hope to share with you. I have been inspired by these ladies...

Portraits of Strength: Ethnic women in North Vietnam>>
by Tony Corocher/ Viet Nam

The purpose of this project was to document ethnic minorities that live in very hard conditions in the mountains/valleys of North Vietnam, near the border with China. I was particularly interested in portraying the life and conditions of women in these areas. I believe our perception of these ...

Eve Was Framed>>
by Arka Dutta/ India

In my country, India, I have seen religious notions that have often ingrained a sense of powerlessness in the psyche of many women, especially to those without proper literacy and sometimes with conservative family backgrounds. In such cases women's cultural and social subordination is allegedly...

Women's Football in Egypt, Palestine,Turkey and Germany>>
by Claudia Wiens/ Palestine, Germany, Turkey, Egypt

From 6th June till 5th July, 2015 the Women's Football World Cup will take place in Canada. But only very few teams are lucky to be part of it. Some parts of the world will not be presented at all like the Middle East and North Africa region. But countries in the MENA region also boast ...

Living History: Bound Feet Women of China>>
by Jo Farrell/ Hong Kong

This ongoing photographic project documents and celebrates the lives of some of the last remaining women in China with bound feet. In their native country, China, it is not often discussed, as it is considered such an old custom that does not reflect modern China. For the past nine years I have been...

Melanie>>
by Sarah Stacke/ United States

Melanie explores what being a woman means to her. The social process of becoming a woman, whether born female or transitioning later, is complex and combines both experiences and a socialized perception of gender norms. When someone wants to be recognized as a woman, how does society encourage her...

Deprived of Adolescence>>
by Daro Sulakauri/ Georgia

(Ongoing photo project on early marriages in Georgia). Georgia has one of the highest rates in Europe for early marriages. Marriages occur mainly in Kakheti and Adjara regions, it is mostly common among religious and ethnic minorities. In villages a large number of girls drop out of school to be ...


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About Social Documentary Network

Social Documentary Network is a community for photographers, NGOs, journalists, editors, and students to create and explore visual stories on global themes. Since 2008, exhibits on SDN have explored topics as diverse as oil workers in the Niger River Delta, male sex workers in India, Central American immigrant women during their journey north, and Iraqi and Afghan refugees in Greece.Click here to view all of the exhibits. 

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