Nichole Sobecki

Nichole Sobecki is a photographer and filmmaker based in Nairobi, Kenya. Her work focuses on humanity’s fraught, intimate, and ultimately unbreakable connection to the natural world. In 2016, Sobecki began working in Somalia on Where Our Land Was, which investigates how conflict and climate change collide in an agonizing feedback loop that punishes some of the world’s most vulnerable people. As a National Geographic Explorer, she next looked into the critical role the Congo Basin plays in the ecological balance of our planet. Her current project, Natura, looks at the evolution of motherhood in this time of unprecedented ecological change. Sobecki’s work has been recognized by the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, the ASME Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, and Pictures of the Year, among other honors, and has been exhibited internationally.

The International Rescue Committee

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people whose lives have been shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and rebuild.

Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, we first helped people fleeing violence and persecution in Europe find safety in the United States.

Today, we work in over 40 crisis-affected countries — bringing ingenuity, fortitude, and optimism to make a lasting impact for the people we serve. We arrive at the onset of crisis and aim to stay as long as we are needed. We also help refugees and other vulnerable people integrate into their new communities across dozens of cities in Europe and the Americas.

The IRC provides health care, helps children learn, and empowers individuals and communities to become self-reliant, always with a focus on the unique needs of women and girls.