5 Photographers Share Their Favorite CARE Photos from 2020

Caught in a cyclone in Vanuatu

Valerie Fernandez

After an hour of unrelenting seas in a tiny boat – enough for me to dream of the comforts of home – I was listening to a true survival story.

Netty was caught outside during Cyclone Harold, holding her baby tight all night long, despite winds so strong they tore her clothes off. Netty’s body was literally the only thing protecting her child from the elements. By morning, her house had been totally destroyed – but her family was alive.

She had tears in her eyes as she told me the story – but she was also smiling like we were just chit chatting. I was so humbled. I would never take the comforts of home, or the safety of my own child, for granted ever again.

A reason to smile in Zambia

Karin Schermbrucker

My camera has become a bridge between people of different cultures, ages, races and backgrounds. Meeting Jane reminded me of all the courageous women I have met, and their ability to overcome – warm and tender, and at the same time competent and capable of all things – because in most cases it’s the women who do everything. They really do hold up half the sky.

Jane invited me into her world, shared her life and I got to meet her beautiful daughter. I love how places become faces, and faces become friends, and suddenly we are not just documenting statistics, but rather engaged with the reality of another person’s life – woman to woman and mother to mother.

Kindness of spirit in Zimbabwe

Lucy Beck

One of the first things that struck me about Esther was her generosity and kindness of spirit.

She had taken in grandchildren – her sister-in-law’s children – and all without complaint despite their difficult situation. She had a sharp intelligence and twinkle in her eye when talking to us that made me immediately realize that, despite her age and the difficulties of her circumstances, she was a strong woman.

When she told us she sometimes cried thinking about how she could not feed the children it was a heart-breaking moment. I must have taken 20 different close-ups trying to capture her portrait, but this is one of my favorites.

Localizing disaster readiness in The Philippines

Rya Celine C. Ducusin

Prod.JX are a group of local artists who made 3D maps of coastal villages, to be used as Hazard Maps. Everyone is involved in the creation of the maps – girls, boys, tour guides, teachers, carpenters and even drivers, to ensure their accuracy from a local perspective.

Community members, including this young girl, then place pins on the maps to identify the areas at greatest risk of natural disaster, to help plan their evacuation plans and preparedness measures.

I was happy and thrilled to see people from different groups and walks of life working together to produce a map which will help save the lives of people in their community.