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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Karen smelling seeds found in her backyard. Santiago, Chile. August 23rd, 2011
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Karen's hand and night table. Santiago, Chile. October, 21st. 2010
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Karen changes her clothes after doing home works at her girlfriend's mother house. Santiago, Chile. 2010
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Karen kisses her girlfriend Mariel while they reads an old Mariel's journal. Santiago,Chile. 2010
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Yara playing in the grass near her home. Puente Alto, Chile. 2010
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Karen takes Yara (Mariel daughter) and Felipe (Mariel's brother) for a walk near home. Santiago, Chile.2011
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Karen and Yara(Mariel's daughter) plays with their dog at Karen's old house. Santiago, Chile.2010
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Karen consuming pasta base( a cheap drug similar to crack) at the back of her house. Santiago, Chile. 2018
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Karen fixing the window of her house. Santiago, Chile.2011
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Mariel receives a tobacco cigar from Karen. On the background hangs a portrait of Mariel's daughter, Yara. Santiago, Chile.2011
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Mariel and Karen playing in the park near their home. Santiago, Chile. 2012
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
drawing made by yara and showing her vision of her current family, with Karen being part of it. Santiago, Chile. 2013
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Karen doing cocaine on top of a Salvador Allende's (former president of Chile) glass frame. Santiago, Chile.2010
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Karen's neighborhood. Santiago, Chile. 2010
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Karen sits alone at her old living room at sunset. Santiago, Chile. 2011
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Yara resting in her room and Karen reflected in Yara's mirror. Santiago, Chile. 2011
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Mariel lifting a niece at her mother house. Karen's shadow on the left and Yara on the right.Santiago, Chile. 2013
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Rosa in bed. She was Karen's grandmother who died on December, 2009. Puente Alto, Chile.
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Karen visiting her grandmother's grave, passed away in 2009 which generated a several depression for Karen. Santiago, Chile. 2012
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Karen's living room. Santiago, Chile. 2011
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Karen at her home. Santiago, Chile. 2017
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Mariel (7 months pregnant) share an intimate moment Karen in her bedroom. Santiago, Chile. 2017
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Yara fixing Karen's hair in their kitchen room. Santiago, Chile 2010.
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Karen and her newborn daughter. Santiago, Chile.2018
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An old photograph of Karen wearing a ballet dress. Santiago, Chile. 2012
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Karen and Mariel's bedroom. Santiago, Chile.
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© 2021 Cristobal Olivares
Karen smokes a cigar in her living room. Santiago, Chile.
Public Story
In Karen's Name
Credits:
cristobal olivares
Updated: 05/27/20
Karen
Karen, is 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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