In 1998, the Indonesian island of Sulawesi saw horrifying violence. What started as a bar fight between two youths in Poso escalated to riots, and then widespread killings and war-like conflict. Christians and Muslims who had lived side by side for more than a century turned against each other. In an effort to secure peace, the Malino I Agreement was signed in 2001, brokered almost entirely by men. Despite the Agreement, fighting continued for an additional six years. Peace in Sulawesi remains fragile to this day.

When conflicts and disasters happen, it is women and girls who face the biggest impact. Yet they find themselves excluded from formal peacebuilding processes. This documentary film and photography project features four women activists in Central Sulawesi living in the wake of the Poso Riots. From the Ashes tells of the inherent strength of these women, working to unite their communities against emerging threats to peace: violent extremism, climate change, geological disasters, and corporate control over natural resources.

Shot for UN Women.