The Distance: Coronavirus Dispatches VICE

In the midst of the pandemic, a new foster care model based on community living and known as a "children's village" has opened up to foster youth on the Cheyenne River Reservation. It's a collaboration between the tribe and an organization called Simply Smiles -- with members of the tribe leading the way by sharing traditional knowledge at a critical time. 
This story was reported with support from USC’s Center for Health Journalism.

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Alua Arthur is a death doula in Los Angeles, California, where she helps people prepare for death emotionally, spiritually, physically, and even logistically. She says the pandemic itself has a lot in common with the end-of-life experience.
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Bianka Rodriguez is a transgender woman and activist in El Salvador who says the pandemic has hit the trans community especially hard -- and that even government aid programs discriminate against trans people.
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Tanzina Vega is a journalist, host of The Takeaway, and a new mother. She gave birth to her son at the end of January--and not long after found herself raising a newborn alone while in quarantine.
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Natalia 'Saw Lady' Paruz had been busking in the New York City subway for over 20 years until the pandemic forced her out -- leaving her without a place to do what she loves most. This story was reported by Drew Schwartz.
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Rayan is a journalist in Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority territory, where a political lockdown imposed in August 2019 was starting to lift when COVID struck in March. We spoke with Rayan for a shorter dispatch back in April, and wanted to hear more.
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