"Behind the Masks": Photobook on the challenges that essential workers face in the pandemic
Brazil was headed for the peak in its first wave of cases and deaths from COVID-19 in 2020 when the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) gave photographers and journalists in three Brazilian cities the task of documenting the daily lives of the pandemic’s first-line responders. What they found behind the masks of these workers, whether in Duque de Caxias in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro or in Fortaleza or São Paolo, was humanity.
Article 09 April 2021 Brazil
These people are the focus of the book Behind the Masks, a story about the challenges that essential workers face in these difficult times. More than capturing a moment in time, it pulls back the curtain on the lives and worries of these professionals. The book is part of the ICRC's campaign Valorize o Essencial, which is about fostering respect for essential public services and their providers.