They are from different countries. They are of different races. And they are of different ages.
But the people in this striking photo series all have one thing in common: poverty.
The
series, titled 'The Story Of Hunger And Hope', captures men, women and
children who are living in hunger - and those who are working to
alleviate it.
It
includes subjects from Philadelphia in America, Bengal and Kolkata in
India, Madagascar, off the coast of Africa, and other places across the
world.
Breathtaking: This captivating photo,
from National Geographic and Feeding America's 'The Story of Hunger And
Hope' series, shows a young child helping his father to transport a pile
of crops down a road in New Delhi, India. It was taken by photographer
Debajit Bose
Religious: This image, by Sudipta
Maulik, shows dozens of people gathering for Annakut festival in
Kolkata, India. They eagerly collect prepared rice - an offering of the
Hindu God Lord Krishna, seen showering from above - to ensure food
safety for the rest of the year
Heart-wrenching: This photo of Indian
residents collecting bread from a food distribution service was taken by
Sanchi Aggarwal. He said: 'I want to convey the message that how
poverty still prevails in India. The intense looks in the eyes of the
person conveys it all'
Aid: US-based photographer Octavio
Duran captured this image of Franciscan Father Michael Duffy greeting a
poverty-stricken guest at St Francis Inn kitchen in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. The Inn has been serving meals to the neediest people and
families since 1979
Poverty-stricken:
The left-hand-side photo, by ParthaSarathi Nandi, shows a man selling
coconuts alongside his son in the village of Joypur in Bengal, India.
Meanwhile, the right-hand-side one, by Malgorzata Walkowska, shows a man
harvesting vegetables in Poland
In order to create the series, National Geographic and hunger-relief organization Feeding America invited photographers globally to send in images.
They
received more than 5,000 submissions from the magazine's online
community, 'Your Shot'. All of the photos 'reflect the global nature of
poverty'.
In
one of the pictures, a young boy is surrounded by misty skies as he
returns home after a hard day's work in the agricultural fields of
Assam, India.
Meanwhile,
in another, immigrants from South East Asia tuck into Thanksgiving
Lunch at a US frontier on the island of Guam in the western Pacific.
One
photo sees an exhausted man take a rest in his tea stand at Calcutta
Flower Market in Bengal, India, after waking up early to try to make a
living.
And
another shows Franciscan Father Michael Duffy greeting a
poverty-stricken, but joyful, guest at a soup kitchen in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.
Tired: In order to create the series,
National Geographic and Feeding America invited photographers globally
to send in images. Above, this photo, by Ankit Mohonto, shows a young
boy surrounded by misty skies as he returns home after a hard day's work
in Assam, India
Celebration: This image, by Hiro
Kurashina, portrays immigrants from South East Asia tucking into
Thanksgiving Lunch at a US frontier on the island of Guam in the western
Pacific. In addition to the traditional turkey and ham, ethnic food
from the region was served
Touching: Photographer Nguyen Phuc
titled this photo: 'Cooker in Black'. The female subject is seen
preparing food on the anniversary of a death - a widespread tradition in
Vietnam. In doing so, she hopes that her late loved one will bless her
with all the luck in life
St.
Francis Inn, which has been serving food to the neediest individuals
and families in Philadelphia since 1979, provides more than 350 meals a
day.
The
photo series is particularly poignant in relation to the indulgent
Christmas period that has just passed, a National Geographic spokesman
said.
'These
images remind us of the people in our hometowns who face hunger and of
those who help those struggling,' the spokesman said. 'They show us the
hopefulness too. There is a solution to hunger - and it starts with
people feeding people.
'It’s
about realizing that hunger affects people from all races and all ages -
and from every corner of the globe. Hunger doesn’t care if you're from
the wealthiest nation in the world or the poorest. It’s about realizing
that together, we can overcome almost anything.'
Hard work: In this image, taken by
Christina Sussman in Kolkata, India, a man is pictured taking a rest at
his chai tea stand at Calcutta Flower Market. Ms Sussman wrote alongside
the photo: 'There are people sleeping behind him, grasping those last
few moments of sleep... This man, to me, symbolizes "Hunger and Hope."
He is clearly tired, but he has gotten up to open up his shop and earn a
living'
'Ending the hunger': This photo, by
David Evans, was titled: 'Ending the Hunger Season in Madagascar'. It
shows women stacking bundles of freshly harvested rice in preparation
for the annual 'hunger season' when food supplies have run out and
people die
According to figures collected by the
World Food Programme , a shocking one in nine people globally do not
have enough food to live a healthy life. Above, This image, captured by
Agnieszka Napierala, shows three of four million Haitians living in
Dominican Republic
According to figures collected by the World Food Programme, a staggering one in nine people globally do not have enough food to live a healthy life.
The
majority of these 805million people live in developing countries -
mostly, in Asia - where 13.5 per cent of the population is
undernourished.
A
selection of the photos in the series that specially depict hunger in
America will shortly be published in a National Geographic book.
