International reporting on Latin America has long relied on an oversimplified trifecta of storylines: drugs, poverty, and violence. In 2015, the IWMF created the Adelante reporting initiative to move the narrative in Latin America forward, or, Adelante. Made possible by a generous five-year, $5 million grant from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, Adelante supported more, improved and sustained coverage of Latin America by women journalists around the globe.

Beginning in 2016, the IWMF brought small groups of international women journalists to six countries and border zones in Latin America. More than 170 international fellowships were awarded, along with 85 local fellowships for regional reporters. Together, our fellows produced 380 stories – tackling topics like corruption, reproductive rights policies, community organizing, and new technologies – painting a more robust picture of this diverse region. Learn more about the program’s influence in our Adelante Impact Report.

Adelante Migration Routes

Photo Exhibition: El Otro Lado (The Other Side)

Chronicling four years of in-depth migration reporting, this exhibit highlights the work of thirty award-winning photographers. From the push and pull factors to the arduous journey of fulfilling hopes and dreams, explore several chapters taking you through the incredible challenges migrants face both at home and on the move.

Photo by Almudena Toral

Adelante: “The Other Side”

Exhibit Launch Event

View the IWMF’s conversation launching El Otro Lado (The Other Side), a virtual photo exhibition hosted by the Photographic Museum of Humanity, showcasing the outstanding work of Adelante-supported photographers who have documented migration stories from Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and the U.S.-Mexico Border. Moderated by María Elena Salinas, the event featured a presentation by exhibit curator Danielle Villasana as well as a panel discussion with Adelante fellows Verónica G. Cárdenas, Tamara Merino and Melissa Lyttle.

Adelante Impact Report

Learn more about how the Adelante reporting initiative changed the narrative in Latin America in our Impact Report.

Meet the Fellows

“I chose to pursue a career in journalism when I was very young. I think that journalism is a guard dog of democracy and that too often, this is not well explained. Still, I strongly believe that as long as I work as a journalist, as a woman journalist, my duty is to keep trying to tell stories: the stories of our world, the stories of those ‘others’ that one day could be me, or you.”
Irene Savio
"This was a formative experience, and despite all the challenges and questions it's raised for me, I hope to carry this with me in every story I do for the rest of my life.”
Molly O'Toole