In recent years, photography has become one of the most common methods of communication. What makes photography captivating is its ability to inform, entertain, educate, or share memories through the click of a button. Every photo has a story behind it and can often convey a message louder than words. To celebrate this inspirational form of visual communication, we observe World Photography Day each year on August 19.

In honor of World Photography Day, we at FINCA have chosen to highlight the following four photos. We feel they are some of the photos that best represent and capture not only our mission of alleviating poverty, but also our goal of providing the world’s poor with the tools they need to help themselves work their way out of poverty.

Inspiration Through Education

Kerlande Toussaint and her husband Annesse Aristild founded and run a modest school in Gonaives, Haiti. Beginning with a single Kindergarten class, they have used FINCA loans to grow their school and increase their enrolled students. They now have a staff of 30 and more than 600 children enrolled from Kindergarten through 10th grade.

We at FINCA love this photo because it illustrates the radiant joy displayed by some of Kerlande and Annesse’s students. Education is a powerful tool that can open doors and unlock new opportunities for students of all ages. We are proud to work with clients like Kerlande who share this vision and understand the true power of education.

Tools for Growth

Good Nature Agro (GNA) is one of FINCA Ventures’ partners located in Zambia. They are a social enterprise helping smallholder farmers grow their incomes and ultimately move out of poverty and into the middle class. GNA does this by teaching farmers how to grow more sustainable crops and connecting them to high-value markets.

This photo shows a GNA field supervisor (left) with grower Neria Daka (right) as they examine her field. We draw inspiration from this photo because it exemplifies a blissful moment of learning and growth for this farmer. At the same time, the vastness of the farm parallels the seemingly limitless opportunities GNA’s farmers can achieve through the increased incomes their crops provide.

A Community of Support

Over twelve years ago, Anarda Virginia Dávila Núñez and her neighbors started a Village Bank group in Honduras, for which she serves as its president. Over the years, Anarda Virgina has used her FINCA village banking loans to tend to her 17-acre farm where she harvests corn and raises pigs, chickens, and cows. Thanks to the additional income she’s earned from her farm, she was able to help all six of her children complete their educations and buy full ownership of her land.

Here, Anarda Virigina is holding her granddaughter, Stheffy, who became partly paralyzed after contracting the Zika virus as an infant. Anarda is a great example of someone who used her own motivation and willpower to improve her family’s life.

Empowerment through Entrepreneurship

Xheva Haziri is a farmer in Kosovo who owns a fruit and vegetable processing and packing business. Since starting her business over five years ago, Xheva has used her FINCA loans to expand her business and product line, turning it into a thriving company. She now employs her sons and other seasonal workers to assist with the production process. These workers depend on Xheva and her business as a source of income, and her community depends on the food she supplies to numerous markets and grocery stores in the area.

We are inspired by Xheva’s determination to make a lasting difference in her community. This photo demonstrates the time and effort she puts into working on her farm and growing her business. What started out as a small business turned into something bigger, as Xheva plans to continue expanding her business and eventually exporting her products abroad.

Celebrate World Photography Day!

As the adage goes: A picture is worth a thousand words. But we at FINCA think some of our pictures are worth millions. They illustrate the stories of the people behind them, working to provide a better life for their families. We take pride in sharing each and every story behind these photographs. And we invite you to join us in celebrating World Photography Day by sharing a photo that’s worth a million words to you!