Almudena Toral

I traveled to Brazil a few months ago with print reporter Sarika Bansal and a grant from The International Reporting Project to report on drug addiction and abortion issues. One of our pieces just got published by VICE News online (and is also in VICE Magazine's February issue). Brazil has the dubious distinction of having over one million crack users - the largest number in the world. Cracolândia, a neighborhood in downtown Sao Paulo, is the epicenter of this symbolic battle against crack. This piece at VICE focuses on women, especially pregnant women, and the particular set of challenges they face in this harsh place they call home. More Cracolândia photos can be seen in my album 10 seconds.