I began this series while living in Panama in 2010. My neighbours were an extended indigenous family who had been given a small house to live in next to ours. Communication between us was difficult but my camera was the icebreaker and a relationship developed.
In the early years I knew them, the family endured a string of problems, from poor living conditions, complications from childbirth to rape, separation and homelessness.
On each return visit to Panama I sought them out, each time finding them a little more settled. Over time, some family members, notably the mother, have moved away. Others have appeared, and more have been born. The oldest daughter, Maribel, now has two children of her own. On my last visit in 2017 I was struck by by how much their life had improved. They were healthy and confident, and speaking more Spanish than ever before. They had mobile phones and my camera no longer held them in awe as it had done in the early days of our acquaintance.
