When the Earth Gives Birth is an exhibition by the 2026 Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award winner, Johanna Alarcón. The show presents a powerful documentary project exploring Indigenous maternal healthcare in Ecuador. Through stories of Indigenous midwives, apprentices and patients from AMUPAKIN and Partera di Anaku, the first Indigenous midwifery schools and hospitals in Ecuador’s Amazon and Andes, the exhibition explores community-led maternal healthcare, reproductive sovereignty and the preservation of Indigenous knowledge.

Johanna Alarcón is presented at POST Creatives gallery in Hove as part of the tenth anniversary celebrations of the Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award, facilitated by FotoDocument and supported by Nikon, the exhibition runs from 18th september to coincide with the Women in Documentary Photography event at POST and remains on view during the opening weekend of Photoworks Festival 2026 available to visit on the 2nd and 4th of October.

Visitors can also explore highlights from a decade of award-winning documentary photography alongside a display of photographs and books by renowned twentieth-century photographer Marilyn Stafford (1925-2023). The exhibition celebrates the work of women photographers addressing today’s most pressing social and environmental issues, reflecting the Award’s commitment to documentary practice that inspires understanding and positive change.