Spanish Journalist Fulfills Her Dream with Anera

“I’ve always felt really connected to the Middle East, and especially to Palestine since I was a child,” says Italy-based visual journalist and communications specialist, Ángela Rodríguez.

Raised in the city of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, her fascination with the Middle East began at an early age.

“Inside myself I felt that somehow, I belonged there. You may be thinking, why? Some of your relatives come from there? No, there is no logical explanation. This profound connection pushed me to study journalism with the main goal in mind to become a war reporter in the region.”

“I wanted to give voice to those who usually do not appear in the news, the citizens, who are always the victims.”

However, unforeseen life circumstances caused Ángela to shift her focus and take on a successful career in communications and media. Despite this change of plans, she remained determined to uplift the voices of vulnerable communities in the Middle East.

Ángela continued her human rights advocacy, with a primary interest in education and water equity. That’s what led her to Anera. In search for a NGO that aligned with her interests, she discovered Anera’s work by chance in 2019. Now, she serves as an ambassador to share the first-person narratives of the people we serve in the Middle East.

With a passion for truth, Ángela feels that Anera enables her to humanize the stories and experiences of those in the Middle East and “avoid the stereotyped broadcast version of the conflicts.”