cristobal olivares

Photographer
  
In Karen's Name
Location: Santiago,Chile
Nationality: Chilean
Biography: Cristóbal Olivares, born in Santiago, Chile in 1988, is a documentary photographer with a special interest in social affairs. He is the co-founder of Buen Lugar , an independent editorial initiative that publishes books and photography... MORE
Public Story
In Karen's Name
Copyright cristobal olivares 2024
Updated May 2020
Topics Documentary, Family, Gender, Latin America, Lesbian, Photography, photojournalism, Portraiture, Sexuality, Spotlight

Karen

Karen, is a woman’s in her mid 40's who lives in one of the most populated towns of Santiago, Chile. Located in the outskirts of Santiago, this town has a high rate of drug addicts, crime and face with no job opportunities.
Karen barely finished secondary school, and as a consequence, she can only find bad temporary jobs, which do not provide enough for her to maintain herself.
A number of years ago, Karen moved from her old house to her girlfriend’s house who helped her through severals depressions, after Karen's grandmother passed away. "She was like a mother to me; life is worthless now...sometimes i think about suicide," Karen explains. Because of this Karen's use of drugs sometimes became regular. 
Since she started her new relationship with Mariel—a mother of a  girl named Yara—and a new home, the couple wanted to have their own baby, which come true thanks to an anonymous donor at the beginning of 2018. Nowadays they are rebuilding their lives, making efforts to stay clean of drugs. However, the days without a job are the longest and the hardest to face. Santiago, Chile.


Karen
Karen, es una mujer en sus 40's que vive en una de las comunas más pobladas de Santiago de Chile. Ubicada en las afueras de Santiago, esta comuna tiene un alto índice de drogadicción, delincuencia y sin muchas oportunidades de trabajo.
Karen apenas terminó la escuela secundaria y, en consecuencia, sólo puede encontrar  trabajos temporales, que no le dan lo suficiente para mantenerse.
Hace unos años, Karen se mudó de su antigua casa a la de su novia, que la ayudó a superar varios episodios de depresión, tras el fallecimiento de su abuela. "Era como una madre para mí; ahora la vida no vale nada... a veces pienso en el suicidio", explica Karen. Por ello, el consumo de drogas de Karen se convirtió en algo habitual.
Desde que comenzó su nueva relación con Mariel -madre de una niña llamada Yara- y un nuevo hogar, la pareja quiso tener su propio bebé, lo que se hizo realidad gracias a un donante a principios de 2018. Actualmente están rehaciendo sus vidas, esforzándose por mantenerse fuera de las drogas. Sin embargo, los días sin trabajo son los más largos y difíciles de afrontar. Santiago, Chile.


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