Cléa T. Rekhou Wins Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim Fellowship for Sahara Oasis Project

Vital Impacts, a nonprofit organization led by women and established by Ami Vitale and Eileen Mignoni, has unveiled its 2026 Environmental Photography Fellowships, which include $50,000 in grants and eleven year-long mentorship opportunities. Cléa T. Rekhou, a visual storyteller of Algerian-French descent born in 1988, has been awarded the Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim Environmental Photograph Fellowship for her initiative "Beyond the Steppe," which focuses on the foggara irrigation system in Algeria. This project aims to create a mixed-media manual in collaboration with local communities. Rekhou, who resides in Algiers, is affiliated with Women Photograph. The selection committee featured Alessia Glaviano, Azu Nwagbogu, Evgenia Arbugaeva, Kathy Moran, and Pat Kane. Since its inception in 2021, Vital Impacts has garnered $3.5 million for conservation efforts and engaged with 30,000 youth.