Nahira Montcourt

Photojournalist | Documentary Photographer

www.nahiramontcourt.com/

Dominican mothers in Puerto Rico face the pandemic from the shadow

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Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Nationality: Puertorican

Biography: Nahira Montcourt is based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She is a documentary photographer and photojournalist. Her work is centered on documenting social movements, local politics, and natural phenomena. Her photos have been published in the main... MORE

Hunger, unemployment and lack ...es, even in times of pandemic.

1 of 8 © 2024 Nahira Montcourt

Hunger, unemployment and lack of public services are the day-to-day challenges faced by Dominican mothers and their children on the island during the pandemic. The challenges of the migration phenomenon are not solved by vaccines, even in times of pandemic.

Carmen, whom we identify with a... entitled to health insurance.

2 of 8 © 2024 Nahira Montcourt

Carmen, whom we identify with a pseudonym to protect her identity, during this time of pandemic, both she and her daughter are more vulnerable than ever. That affects her other two children as well, of course. This home, like many homes in the pandemic, is being transformed into a school. And since March, Carmen has not earned an income as a domestic worker. The thought of COVID-19 infection, for example, is an added concern. Despite so much effort and struggle, the mother and seventeen-year-old are not entitled to health insurance.

From the living room of his hou...them in a situation of poverty.

3 of 8 © 2024 Nahira Montcourt

From the living room of his house, one of the many rental residences that survive amidst the abandonment of the urban center of Rio Piedras, one can observe the diversity. Rio Piedras is a community where Dominicans, Haitians and even Palestinians mix, most of them in a situation of poverty.

Carla, whom we identify with a ...;quot;without papers".

4 of 8 © 2024 Nahira Montcourt

Carla, whom we identify with a pseudonym to protect her identity, is seventeen years old, in the twelfth grade, is Dominican and these days she questions what will become of her life when she completes the fourth year of high school "without papers".

The Student Bill of Rights stat...nnot be established as regular.

5 of 8 © 2024 Nahira Montcourt

The Student Bill of Rights states that every student residing in Puerto Rico, regardless of immigration status, shall have the right to a free and safe public education. The law states that no person can be denied access to education, even if their immigration status cannot be established as regular.

But the Department of Education...ithin the public school system.

6 of 8 © 2024 Nahira Montcourt

But the Department of Education did not provide data on the Dominican population within the public school system.

Carmen's family, marrie... itself. There is no other way.

7 of 8 © 2024 Nahira Montcourt

Carmen's family, married to a Puerto Rican, deals with their needs, in part, with the help offered by community organizations and from the Dominican community itself. There is no other way.

"The Dominican communi...shadows," says Carmen.

8 of 8 © 2024 Nahira Montcourt

"The Dominican community is very united. We have had to fend for ourselves. Particularly in Rio Piedras, where we are many, and many illegal. The biggest problem now in the pandemic is that there are no jobs for Dominicans. There is nothing. We are in the shadows," says Carmen.

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Public Story

Dominican mothers in Puerto Rico face the pandemic from the shadow

Copyright Nahira Montcourt 2024

Updated Dec 2020

Location Puerto Rico

Topics Abuse, Adolescence, Children, Community, Discrimination, Documentary, Education, Essays, Health/Healing, Human Rights, Immigration, Latin America, Media, Migration, Motherhood, Pandemics, Photography, Photojournalism, Poverty, Racism, Violence, Womens Rights

"The lack of public policy on immigration issues in Puerto Rico has caused Dominican mothers and their children to face needs that are multiplying with the emergence of the coronavirus. This is reflected in fewer employment opportunities, delays in their immigration processes, and families unable to access essential services, such as education and health care for their children."

My most recent work for the Center for Investigative Journalism with José M. Encarnación Martínez.

You can read the history in Spanish the link below
Madres dominicanas en Puerto Rico enfrentan la pandemia “desde la sombra” - Centro de Periodismo Investigativo
La falta de una política pública sobre asuntos de inmigración en Puerto Rico ha provocado que las madres dominicanas y sus hijos enfrenten necesidades que se multiplican con la emergencia del coronavirus. Esto se refleja en menos oportunidades de...

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