Bedtimes and lullabies are shaped by the physical world we live in.

For Zaijan, a child in the Philippines, sleep is dictated by the tides of the sea. At night, he fishes with his father, falling asleep to the sound of the waves and the putt of the engine.

The Philippines is the beating heart of the Coral Triangle, with more species of marine life than anywhere else on Earth.

With schools closed due to the COVID pandemic, and with his father under mounting pressure to meet the family’s needs, Zaijan learned to fish.

‘He learned to survive in a time of loss,’ Umbing says. 

In the daytime, after fishing, Zaijan rocks his sister Jazzy to sleep.