Maria's photo gear lost in fire
Our dear journalist colleague and friend Maria de la Guardia tragically lost most of her photography equipment during a fire at her home in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Like many freelance journalists, Maria was already struggling financially, and the loss of her lenses, hard drives, audio recording equipment, and more, is devastating. Due to the financial difficulties she was already facing, her equipment was not covered under insurance, which can be very expensive for coverage in conflict zones. There have also been instances where even journalists with equipment insurance have not been covered in their time of need due to a technicality of their situation.
Originally from the US, Maria has sacrificed her personal safety and financial stability to bring back stories from some of the most difficult places to work on earth - Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Sierra Leone, and more. Her beautiful, moving photos tell a different, human side to conflict. At a time when most foreign journalists have left Afghanistan, Maria decided to return to this country that she loves because she believed there were still more stories to be told there.
Maria recently gave an interview with AFAR magazine speaking about the challenges of working in the misunderstood corners of the world: http://www.afar.com/magazine/what-its-like-to-be-a-photographer-in-the-worlds-most-challenging-places 
The stories Maria works so hard on need to be told, and Maria is too talented for the photojournalism community to lose her voice.
Maria will need to travel to Dubai to purchase new equipment, as professional photography gear is not available in Afghanistan (travel costs will not come out of the money raised here). Photojournalism is already a seriously expensive profession to get into - here is a basic breakdown of costs Maria will be facing:
Canon 5D Mk IV camera body: $3500
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens: $1749
Canon 70-200mm f/4 lens: $1150
New hard drives, memory cards, and backups: $1000
Microphones: $400
Audio recording device: $350
Conflict zone insurance: estimated $2,000
Fees for GoFundMe: estimated $1,000 if full amount is raised (7.9% plus $0.30 from each donation)
So, journalism community, and people who value the contributions that journalists make around the world, let's step up and get Maria back on her feet.
More of Maria's work can be found online at http://mariadelaguardia.photoshelter.com
About the person organizing this crowdfunding: Lindsey Leger is also a photojournalist and worked with Maria in Amman, Jordan, and will make sure Maria gets the funds we raise here. Thank you for your support!
