They are paid to bring rain. When it fails — or leads to floods — violence can follow

A distinctive multimedia story from Uganda and South Sudan revealed how erratic rainfall and climate change are exposing traditional rainmakers to beatings and killings.

Reporting from communities where access is difficult, the team documented rainmakers – who are blamed whether rain fails, arrives too late or causes floods. The work combinedintimate testimony, clear climate context and vivid scenes without dismissing local belief or sensationalizing the people involved. The reporting required sustained source development and sensitive access to rainmakers, relatives of victims, community elders, farmers, officials and researchers.

Freelancer Joseph Falzetta brought reporting and photography from South Sudan; East Africa reporter Rodney Muhumuza reported and photographed in Uganda; and freelancer Patrick Onen’s video placed viewers inside the rituals and landscape.

The result was a rare, humane account that connectedclimate disruption to violence through the lives of people usually beyond the reach of international coverage.