The Other Hundred photo project turns lens on the unsung heroes of the pandemic
This year’s theme for the international initiative is ‘Healers’, and submissions, which are open to all, close on August 14
Portuguese-born, Macau-based photojournalist Gonçalo Lobo Pinheiro has focused his camera on Ratnam for his entry in the annual The Other Hundred project, a global photography initiative that aims to provide an understanding of everyday people and the lives they lead. This year’s theme, “Healers”, celebrates the men, women and children who are helping their communities through selfless acts of kindness and compassion during the coronavirus outbreak.
“Older people are a risk group in this pandemic and I thought the story would be interesting,” says Pinheiro by email from Macau.
“Louis Mary Sesu Ratnam is the most visible face of a series of caregivers who care for women,” says Pinheiro, adding that more than 50 women live at the facility, many dependent on carers. “I believe the oldest woman is 107 years old.”
Founder of The Other Hundred, Chandran Nair, says lockdown has made capturing moments of healing more challenging – and more important – than ever.
“Early in the global reaction to Covid-19, frontline health care workers were rightly lauded for facing this common enemy – and in the process, sometimes paying the ultimate price for their acts of service,” says Hong Kong-based Nair.