Smiles of 2017

 

These are the Smiles of 2017.

 

Malawi

Ruth Linyama laughs while pretending to make nsima, a staple food in Malawi, out of mud and water. Her parents participate in the CRS THRIVE II program to learn how to give their children the best possible start in life. 
Photo by Sara A. Fajardo for CRS

Kenya

Agnes Adera Aroma shares a loving, tender moment with her niece, Azzy Sherly.  
Photo by Karen Kasmauski for CRS

 

Mexico

Mother Berta López Chávez leads Mass celebrants in a joyful song in Huamuchil, Oaxaca, Mexico, where an earthquake struck just days before, devastating the surrounding communities.  
Photo by Keith Dannemiller for CRS

Iraq

Majd Nasser Hassan (left) giggles with his younger brother, Sam Nasser Hassan. Their family is one of 3 million displaced Iraqis since 2014 who were forced to flee their homes to escape the violence of ISIS.
Photo by Philip Laubner/CRS

Nigeria

Jennifer Anongo and her husband Agbidye Anongo did not always look as happy and content as they do in this picture. Once he started attending Men’s Forum meetings, where men gather to discuss family issues, he started to change the way he treated Jennifer and strengthened their relationship.
Photo by Laura Elizabeth Pohl for CRS

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Myanmar

Biak New Sung lovingly watches her daughter Thian Za Tling explore in their garden. In 2015, Biak’s family lost their home after the land underneath their home gave way in a small slide. For now they live in a makeshift kitchen until they can afford to start building a new house.

Sierra Leone

Abie Konneh smiles as she carries harvested rice through the village of Longeama, Sierra Leone. Her district was identified as one of the most vulnerable in the aftermath of Ebola, and is being helped through a food security program. 
Photo by Elie Gardner for CRS

Lebanon

Khadija Moussa beams as her doting father picks her up for a hug. She and her family moved to Lebanon five years ago during the Syrian crisis, a challenge made even more difficult by Khadija’s physical disability. She is part of a program that helps Syrian refugee children with disabilities receive the care and support they need. 
Photo by Ismail Ferdous for CRS

 

Kenya

Young Passy Stacy Achieng and her great grandmother Mary Odero Okuta play a lively game together outside their home. Passy spends most of her days with Mary, as Passy’s mother is only 15 and finishing her schooling during the day.
Photo by Karen Kasmauski for CRS