Art in its all forms exists in close link with the social life of people, praising its positive sides, progress and achievements, and also revealing and exposing the negative aspects of the society and consequences of human activity. That is the true nature of art – it is not only about beauty and perfection, it is also about the reality of life and its bitter truth, which is often scary, ugly and frightening. Poverty belongs to the social disasters that people still cannot overcome in many places around the globe. While for the majority of Americans and Europeans poverty seems to be a far-away problem, millions of people in Africa and other depressive regions of the world struggle every day for their own existence and living of their children.

Artists with their exceptionally sensitive souls have always been among the pioneers, fighting the particular flaws of society by identifying them and speaking loudly about the things, which other people may not or may not even want to notice. Social photography and poverty photography in particular touch very serious issues of human existence. Such images are full of suffering, pain, and despair. However, if you look carefully at any of the poverty photographs, collected below, you may notice a small yet powerful ray of light in the eyes of the people, featured on the photos. This ray of light is born by hope. Indeed, it is the hope that stays with us even in the hardest times, giving us strength to fight the destiny, inspiring us and making us believe that tomorrow will be the new and better day.


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