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Marijn Fidder

@marijnfidder

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Using photography to speak for the voiceless and advocate for the rights of the vulnerable. @womenphotograph | [email protected]

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Bodybuilder Tamale Safalu trains in front of his home in Kampala, Uganda, on 25 January 2024.

Despite losing his leg after a terrible motorcycle accident in 2020, Tamale Safalu remained committed to competitive bodybuilding, becoming the first disabled athlete in Uganda to compete against able-bodied athletes. His strength and determination in the face of adversity challenges stereotypes and serves as an inspiration to people from all walks of life.

“By competing as a bodybuilder on stage, I want to encourage other people with disabilities to recognize their own talents and never put their heads down,” says Tamale.

‘Tamale Safalu’ by Marijn Fidder (@marijnfidder) is one of the three winners in the Singles category for the Africa region of the 2025 World Press Photo Contest.

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The annual World Press Photo Contest recognizes the most compelling photojournalism and documentary photography produced over the last year.

🔗 Discover all the #WPPh2025 Contest winners through the link in our bio.

Stay tuned for the Photo of the Year and two finalists announcement on 17 April. by @marijnfidder

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a year ago

The series ‘Inclusive Nation’ by Marijn Fidder (@marijnfidder) explores the ongoing challenges faced by people with disabilities in Uganda. Despite having one of the most progressive disability laws in the world, many people still experience poverty, discrimination, and limited access to care. Uganda’s Persons with Disabilities Act passed in 2020 ensures people with disabilities have access to education and employment, but the path toward full inclusion remains difficult. However, the law does offer hope for a more equitable future.

Seen here in Kampala, Uganda:

1. Shakul (9, holding the phone) plays Snake on his brother’s phone while his school friends gather to watch, on 30 January 2024. “Even though it makes me sad that my friends don’t always understand me because I’m deaf, I think it’s amazing that they’re always there for me. That makes me happy.” - Shakul.

2. Shakul on a swing, photographed on 29 January, 2024.

Shortly after Shakul was born, his parents decided it would be better for him to live with his grandmother, Namatovu. When he was three, she noticed that he was different from other children. Shakul was born with Waardenburg Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects pigmentation and hearing. Although Shakul’s grandmother didn’t have a stable income, she was determined to raise him, no matter the challenges. Since then, she has done everything she can to keep him enrolled in school. “Shakul makes friends very quickly. It doesn’t matter if they’re deaf or not—he connects with people easily. Shakul is a beloved part of his community. That’s why I’m not too worried about his future. He will always have a place in society.” – Namatovu
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Marijn Fidder is a documentary photographer who focuses on current affairs and contemporary social issues. Her image ‘Tamale Safalu’ was awarded in the 2025 World Press Photo Contest. Discover the photograph through the link in the bio. by @marijnfidder

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a year ago

What does it mean to be seen and heard in a world that often looks away?⁠
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In ‘Musa’, photographer Marijn Fidder (@marijnfidder) captures Musa Wandawa in Jinja, Uganda, who contracted polio at ten. Fidder spent six months documenting people with disabilities, using photography to highlight the social barriers they face and the resilience they embody.⁠
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Wandawa said: “When I was growing up, children were sometimes afraid of me. I believe this perception has changed over the years and continues to change.”⁠
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#WPP25 #PhotographyPrize⁠
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Marijn Fidder / Wellcome Photography Prize 2025 by @marijnfidder

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Some people know what it feels like to wonder where they belong. To look around and feel different. To search for a place where they are accepted for who they are. For 13-year-old Manaf Siya, that search shaped much of his childhood.

During an assignment for @cca_foundation in Amudat, in Uganda’s Karamoja region, Siya was the child who stood out immediately. While others played around him, he moved across the school playground with a confidence that caught my attention. Many people notice the scars on his face and body first, the result of a fire he survived as a baby. But after spending time with him, it became clear that his story is not really about scars. It is about finding a place where he feels accepted.

Siya is a Primary Four pupil who lives with his grandfather and three younger siblings. His parents separated when he was young, his mother left the family, and later his father died. Before those losses, tragedy had already marked his life. As a baby, he was left alone in a house when a fire broke out, leaving him with severe burns.

What stayed with him most was not the physical pain but the feeling of being excluded. “People sometimes looked at me as if I wasn’t human,” Siya recalls. “Children didn’t want to play with me. I wondered if my mother had left me because I was burned and because of the way I looked.”

For years, he felt he did not fully belong anywhere. In Karamoja, where poverty still keeps many children out of school, finding a place where a child is accepted can change everything. For Siya, that place became school.

“My first day at school, I was very excited,” he says. At first, he struggled to fit in. Most pupils spoke English, a language he did not yet understand. But over time, things changed.

“The best things about school are the books and the games we play, especially football. I have made many friends here. Timothy is in my class and he is my best friend.” Through those friendships, Siya found what he had long been searching for. “Because I go to school now,” he says, “I have learned that I also belong.” taken in Amudat, Nakapiripirit, Uganda by @marijnfidder

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Musa, a polio survivor from Uganda, reflects on how perceptions of disability are shifting and the barriers that still remain.⁠
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Photographed by Marijn Fidder (@marijnfidder), this quiet moment of daily life is a powerful portrait of resilience, dignity and change.⁠
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#WPP25 #PhotographyPrize⁠
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Marijn Fidder / Wellcome Photography Prize 2025 by @marijnfidder

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2 months ago

Grateful to be shortlisted by @premioluisvaltuena for my ongoing photo series Left Behind.

Dumitru (47) holds a small bottle of milk, carefully tilting it as his one-year-old granddaughter Diana drinks. Her tiny hands press against it. Two weeks ago, her parents left for Germany in search of work, leaving her in his care because there was no other real option.
In Petelea, this is not unusual. For many families, especially within the Roma community, opportunities are limited and migration often becomes part of life.

Since Diana’s parents are gone, Diana keeps crying, not fully understanding why her parents are gone. But she calms for a moment whenever Dumitru pulls her closer and holds her. He stays close to her, as if distance can somehow be softened through touch.

The room they share is barely three by three meters. At night, it becomes a sleeping space for Dumitru, his wife, one of his daughters and five grandchildren, each finding a place as best they can. In the morning, it turns back into a living space, where daily life resumes. Dumitru’s wife tries to find small work during the day, while the grandchildren play in the streets of the village or go to the nearby school.

Diana pauses between sips and looks up at Dumitru, her eyes calm and her trust complete. He adjusts the bottle gently.

Outside, the world moves. Children come and go from the home and roads stretch far beyond the village.

Inside, Dumitru remains, making sure that, despite everything, Diana grows up surrounded by something steady: the enduring presence of someone who stays. taken in Reghinul, Mures, Romania by @marijnfidder

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3 months ago

A week after World Autism Day, I find myself thinking about Abdul again, not just as a child I once visited, but as a reflection of so many others whose stories are rarely heard. The story of Abdul keeps raising the same question: how many children like Abdul are moving through a world that isn’t made for them, waiting to be seen?

I remember my first afternoon at his home. Abdul sat in the corner of a room, a cooking pot in front of him and spinning it. When I sat beside him, he looked up. Then he slowly pushed the pot toward me, as if to say this is how we can connect. I followed his hands, turning it with him. In that shared moment, I caught a glimpse of who he is: a child full of curiosity, seeking connection in the simplest of gestures.

Even in that brief interaction, the weight of his isolation was clear. Abdul spends his days without a school, without a playground, without a world that fully sees him. His home is quiet, his siblings and parents absent for work and school and yet he waits, patient, for someone to notice him.

Children like Abdul deserve more than being seen; they deserve a world that includes them, a world that embraces their presence rather than forcing them into silence.

So I ask you: how will you notice the children who are waiting to be seen, and what will you do to make their world a little less quiet? taken in Jinja, Uganda, Africa by @marijnfidder

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4 months ago

On this World Autism Awareness Day, we are reminded how important it is for every child to feel seen and included in the world around them.

At The Dorna Centre Home for Autism, Brass for Africa creates a safe space where children with autism and intellectual disabilities can simply be themselves. Here, they are encouraged to explore their individuality without judgment. Through music, they discover powerful ways to express their emotions and connect with others.

In Uganda, many children with autism and other intellectual disabilities continue to face stigma and exclusion from everyday life. This makes spaces like The Dorna Centre even more vital. Every moment of acceptance—no matter how small—carries meaning, not only for the children but for their families and communities as well.

As the music lessons continue, children from the surrounding community come together to join in. They learn side by side and form friendships. Differences become less visible. Step by step, barriers begin to fade and understanding grows stronger.

These moments remind us that inclusion is something we can build every day. When children are given the opportunity to learn and grow together, they help shape a more inclusive future for everyone

Inclusion is where it all begins. That is why World Autism Awareness Day matters—not just today, but every single day. taken in Kampala, Uganda, East Africa by @marijnfidder

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4 months ago

What does unconditional love for your children look like? How far would you go to ensure they are seen and accepted, no matter the challenges they face?

As I walk through a village near the city of Masaka, I come across Martha Namatovu, a mother whose love for her children is unconditional. Despite the challenges her two boys face, Martha remains determined to show the world their worth.

When I meet Martha, she stands in the doorway of her small shop with her two sons by her side. Shaban (15) and Ibra (13) both have autism and intellectual disabilities. They used to attend school, but their behaviors confused the teachers and after a short time, they were sent home.

The stigma in the village is even harder to bear. When Martha brings her boys to the shop where she works, people often avoid them. Customers step back, sometimes leaving without buying anything. “The hardest part is society,” Martha says, her voice soft. “People don’t understand my children. But I love them, and I will fight for them. I want them to see that my boys have value.”

Martha’s love for Shaban and Ibra is unwavering, even in the face of rejection. She refuses to give up. Every day, she brings her boys to the shop, hoping the world will one day see past their differences and recognize their worth—just as she does. taken in Masaka, Uganda by @marijnfidder

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4 months ago

🔵 SHORTLISTED 🔵

En muchos países de Europa central y oriental, miles de niños crecen lejos de sus padres, que han emigrado a otros países europeos para sostener económicamente a sus familias. Muchos quedan al cuidado de abuelos, tíos o vecinos. Otros asumen responsabilidades demasiado grandes para su edad. Esto tiene graves consecuencias afectivas y psicológicas para estos niños y para su salud.

En “Left Behind”, la fotógrafa Marijn Fidder, finalista de una de las ediciones del premio, (@marijnfidder) documenta la vida cotidiana de estos niños y niñas: niños que cuidan de sus hermanos, casas sin agua corriente ni electricidad, abuelas que intentan sostener a familias enteras, llamadas que son lo único a lo que aferrarse y que sustituyen abrazos.

La mirada de los familiares, abuelas, tías, que cuidan a estos niños nos cuenta mucho. Hacen todo lo posible para cuidarlos y protegerlos en ausencia de sus padres.

También son niños que cuidan a niños. Niños que cargan con la leña o cuidan de las gallinas. Cuando piensas en un niño de esta edad, lo que te viene a la cabeza es que toda su responsabilidad sea hacer los deberes. Pero a estos niños se les exige madurar antes de tiempo, responsabilidades que muchas veces son demasiadas para su salud mental y física. by @marijnfidder

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📸: Left Behind by Marijn Fidder @marijnfidder | International Photography Awards 2025 1st Place Winner in Editorial/Press/Contemporary Issues⁠
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💬: An editorial photo essay documenting children in Eastern Europe left behind as parents migrate west for work, revealing the emotional toll and silent consequences of economic migration.⁠
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#EditorialPhotography #Photojournalism #ContemporaryIssues by @marijnfidder

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5 months ago

SDN is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 ZEKE Awards for Systemic Change.

SDN awards one first-place and two honorable mention recipients in this category. SDN recognizes outstanding visual stories that both document global communities and inspire action leading to sustainable change.

First Place for Systemic Change:
“Out For Blood”
by Ginevra Bonina @ginevra_bonina

Despite menstruation being a universal physiological process, in India it remains surrounded by stigma and taboos. This project documents not only a public health issue but a human rights concern, aiming to foster awareness and self-determination while reclaiming the body as a site of struggle, resistance and liberation.

Honorable Mentions for Systemic Change:
“Inclusive Nation” by Marijn Fidder @marijnfidder
Uganda has one of the world’s most progressive laws for people with disabilities, reshaping the country into a more inclusive society.

“The Mourning Tide” by Taofeek Oyewole Lawal @oyewole__lawal
Accra’s coastline exposes the environmental and cultural toll of global textile waste on the Ghanaian coastline and how the community is addressing the issue.

Jurors:
Barbara Ayotte @barbayotte
Greig Cranna @crannaphoto
Gail Fletcher @fletchinator
Sarah Leen @roseleen
Dewi Lewis @dewi_lewis_publishing
Maggie Soladay @maggiesol

The awardees will appear in the Spring 2026 issue of ZEKE Magazine and in exhibitions to be announced later in the Spring. View the full stories at the SDN website, link in bio. by @marijnfidder

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