I have always wanted to do this story, but because I couldn’t access funding, it stalled for a very long time. The [Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists] gave me the opportunity to make this project a reality. It brought me closer to the people, to be able to see their stories through their eyes from places that rarely make it to the news.

In-depth field reporting is one of the most important aspects of environmental reporting. While we often talk about the repercussions of an extractive industry on the environment, the communities that live close to it, and the various ways in which their lives become intrinsically associated with those very extractive industries, their stories often fall through the cracks. The IWMF grant gave me the opportunity to look into those cracks, and bring those stories out. In turn, this form of reportage, where the lines between right and wrong are blurred, has come to become my strength.