I am a freelance journalist and photographer.

As a journalist, I specialize in features and in-depth photo-essays. I’ve been motivated by my work in the global South to raise awareness of issues of social justice and to promote greater inter-cultural understanding.

My reportage includes the impact of climate change on Maasai pastoralists in northern Tanzania; the challenges facing multi-generational households in East Africa; the unique vulnerabilities of women in Tanzania to HIV infection; the challenges facing orphans and marginalized children; the implications of cultural tourism; the link between female genital cutting and HIV transmission; HIV/AIDS in northern Ontario; and homelessness in Sudbury, Ont. My work has been published in the Toronto Star, the Sudbury Star, Women’s e-News, Verge magazine, the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, Intercultures magazine, the Tanzanian Guardian and the East African.

I’m also a non-profit mobilization specialist, with experience in Egypt, Canada, Tanzania and Rwanda, where I currently work with Rwanda Initiative. I’ve worked in the fields of media development, mental health, women’s rights, HIV and AIDS, and climate change, with a focus on communications, marketing and strategic development.

To get in touch, please e-mail me at mkkeown@gmail.com. You can also reach me on Skype at mkkeown. If you’d like to see more of my photographic work, please visit www.mkkeown.com or www.marykkeown.wordpress.com.