David duChemin, a photographer based in Vancouver, submitted this story.

A mother in DRC with her child. The mother is HIV+ but her child, thanks to WV intervention, is not.In a world of growing poverty it is easy to become cynical about efforts to help. In three years as a photographer serving the international humanitarian community I have often been asked whether the organizations I shoot for are doing the good work they claim to. I am by nature cynical and when I started this career I feared the work would only fuel that tendency. There are days on the field when it resurfaces, when the lack of resources and the over-worked field-staff make me angry at the world and cynical about a great many things, but it’s been a constant surprise to me that my work for groups like World Vision has been the antidote to my cynicism, and a source of hope to me.

My primary work for World Vision Canada is the Christmas Gift Catalogue. Responsible for raising millions of dollars each year, this catalogue has sent me to Malawi twice, Uganda twice, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, and most recently Mongolia. The images we gather for this project are a long way from the distended bellies and flies around the eyes that were the mainstay of fundraising images several years ago; instead they reflect the hope and dignity of the children and families we work with, and the joy they experience when given a step up. These assignments are the highlights of my year. Read the rest of this entry »

Fiona Petrocelli sent us this story about her experience volunteering in Malaysia.

Shortly after moving to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I picked up the local paper and read about the street children of the Chow Kit district. I knew at that moment that I wanted to help them during my husband’s two-year posting in Kuala Lumpur. As young as four years old, they roam the streets at night while their parents work. Over 500 street children are homeless in Chow Kit, which makes its streets a virtual candy store for child traffickers, pedophiles and sex tourists. Read the rest of this entry »