Rising from the Ground

This monastic school for girls was once a sanctuary; a place where young nuns studied within safe walls, and where the spring air carried stillness and calm.

Then the ceiling collapsed.

Screams filled the hallways as the 2025 Myanmar earthquake tore open the ground and claimed the lives of 16 students and teachers. Now, lessons continue in makeshift shelters, taught by nuns who, despite their own grief, remain steadfast in their care for the children.

Together with the local community, @undp is helping to rebuild the school. The new classrooms will be stronger and safer, honouring the lives lost by safeguarding the future of those who remain.

Witness: Jonathan Hodder

Jonathan Hodder is a Filipino-British street and documentary photographer whose work explores the everyday realities of life across Asia and the Pacific. His images, marked by clarity, texture, and quiet intensity, capture the human condition with a strong sense of place and narrative.

With a background in governance and development through the United Nations, Hodder’s practice is grounded in real-world experience. He has worked in diverse environments, from urban centers like Manila and Yangon to climate-affected communities in Nauru and Fiji. These engagements inform his documentary approach, focused not on spectacle, but on honest and respectful representation.

Hodder’s work is shaped by his interest in the social and cultural dynamics that define his subjects. Whether capturing candid moments on the street or structured scenes in remote areas, his photographs reflect a consistent commitment to authenticity and observation.

Through his work, Jonathan Hodder continues to contribute to the tradition of documentary photography as a tool for understanding, reflection, and dialogue.