Kings and Checkmates in Africa

Kings and Checkmates in Africa

A chess player in Juba, South Sudan, tells Stanton what would help solve poverty there:

“The thing we need most is security. Without security, nothing works. We are only out here playing chess because right now, in this place, we have a little bit of security. But that’s just for right now—just this moment. In this country, things have never been secure for long. In America, there is always security. And that’s why America works.”

The Republic of South Sudan is the world’s youngest country—born into nationhood July 9, 2011. Despite the country’s vast oil resources, it remains largely undeveloped, in part because oil production has fallen by 20 percent since the 2013 civil war. The availability of resources dwindles as conflict continues—military expenditures could also hurt the 2014 harvest, according to the World Bank.

(Photo: Brandon Stanton)

A Giving Family in Kampala

A Giving Family in Kampala

When Stanton asked “What’s the most important thing your mother has taught you?” a member of this family in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, responded:

“If you buy food, you should always eat it with someone else.”

Poverty in Kampala is at the point where nearly all the people who live in slums are unemployed. Their main source of income comes from begging and peddling on the streets. A lack of diverse food options and protein has stunted the growth of one-third of Uganda’s children. Food insecurity and malnutrition, especially in rural areas, is driven by dry seasons, according the UN’s World Food Programme. 

(Photo: Brandon Stanton)

Bend It Like Young Boys

Bend It Like Young Boys

These players in South Sudan told Stanton:

“Our team is called the Young Boys. We grew up in this neighborhood, so we wanted to give the local kids something to do after school. We bought them balls and shoes with our own money, and for game days, we go around and beg local churches for a place to play. We want to keep them very busy so they don’t have time for bad things. We don’t want to see anyone on our team wandering the streets. We practice every other day. The girls have their practice on our days off.”

UNICEF estimates that 60,061 children have access to education in conflicted areas of South Sudan, but 400,000 have dropped out of school. Kidnappings based on intratribal conflicts are common in Juba, which has the highest crime rate in the country, according to the State Department. Since December 2013, 6,693 unaccompanied and separated children have been identified with the help of UNICEF.

(Photo: Brandon Stanton)

An Aspiring Astronaut in India

An Aspiring Astronaut in India

In Jammu, India, this woman tells Stanton:

“I’m going to be an astronaut. There’s another world out there. And I want to go there.”

Men dominate India’s aerospace industry, but women scientists, engineers, and other workers make up 20 percent of the Indian space program’s 14,246 employees. In 2011, three women piloted the deployment of the GSAT-12 communication satellite.

(Photo: Brandon Stanton)

Seeing a Need in Congo

Seeing a Need in Congo

In Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, this man told Stanton:

“I’m studying to be a civil engineer. Congo needs everything: bridges, roads, buildings, wells. The country is like a workshop.”

A battleground for decades of conflict, the Democratic Republic of Congo is still struggling to take advantage of its ample natural resources, including cobalt, copper, diamonds, oil, and timber. The BBC called Congo one of the richest countries in the world, but it is also the source of many problems. Inefficient infrastructure, often in the form of dilapidated roads or no roads at all, is just one of the problems the conflict-ridden country is facing. An educated workforce could help, but the average completion rate of schooling through the sixth grade is only 9 percent, according to the International Rescue Committee.

(Photo: Brandon Stanton)

The Smiling Dishwasher in New Delhi

The Smiling Dishwasher in New Delhi

This woman in New Delhi, India, told Stanton:

“I don’t have any dreams. What’s the point? I’m poor. I don’t have any skills. I wash the utensils in the kitchen—that’s what I do. But I like the girls I work with. We make fun together. I tell jokes. They tell jokes. I’m happy—it’s in my nature.”

One-third of the world’s poor live in India, partly because of the uneven wealth distribution resulting from the country’s caste system, according to the Borgen Project, a nonprofit group fighting extreme poverty. People in lower social classes, especially women, have trouble finding stable jobs. The good news? Kailash Satyarthi, 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner, is working for better opportunities for young people in India by fighting against child slavery.

(Photo: Brandon Stanton)

The Arab Street Cleaner

The Arab Street Cleaner

This man in Amman, Jordan, told Stanton:

“I clean the streets. I used to work as a lifeguard at a fancy hotel on the Dead Sea, but I lost my job. I brought some of the mud from the beach to my cousin because it is good for your skin. My manager said: ‘Hey! We can sell that! You’re stealing!’ ”

The unemployment rate in Jordan as of 2009 was 12.9 percent, —high but an improvement over 2005, when it was 14.8 percent. A third of the population in Jordan lives below the poverty line. Jordan’s economy has taken a hit as a result of the conflict in Iraq, after being flooded with refugees. The country also imported 20 percent of Jordan’s exports, $1.25 billion in 2013, but trade has slowed significantly Al Jazeera reported in August.

(Photo: Brandon Stanton)

A Woman’s Work in Vietnam

A Woman’s Work in Vietnam

When asked “What’s your biggest goal in life?” this woman in Chi Linh, Vietnam, responded: 

“To afford to live.”

The poverty rate in Vietnam dropped by 60 percent from 20 years of development, according to the World Bank. The poverty rate as of 2010 was 20.7 percent in 2010, but the country hasn’t entirely escaped poverty. Vietnam is home to nearly 15 million poor people, many of whom migrate from rural villages to big cities. However, the Overseas Development Institute, a think tank, found that women are paid less than men in cities, so they are starting to work in higher paying agricultural jobs.

(Photo: Brandon Stanton)

A Newsboy in Mexico City

A Newsboy in Mexico City

Stanton asked this Mexico City boy’s mom “What’s your greatest hope as a mother?”

“That the values I teach him will overcome the influence of the street we live on.”

Robberies, fraud, theft, and kidnappings are daily occurrences in Mexico City. Organized crime from drug cartels remains problematic despite recent crackdowns, the Financial Times reported. Police offers are privy to drug deals, further complicating the issue. The link between low incomes and high crime is strong. A recent study found that children raised in families with low-incomes have an increased likelihood of committing crimes.

(Photo: Brandon Stanton)

Children Playing in Kenya

Children Playing in Kenya

A Kenyan mom in Nairobi told Stanton that her two kids are always dancing together, and they love “do the funniest things” like “pretending to cook.”

When Stanton asked what she worries about, she said:

“Their health. They’re always getting sick from the cold and the dust. Sometimes the dust gets so bad, they lose their voices.”

In Nairobi, 115 of every 1,000 babies born die before they turn five years old—compare that to the seven babies that would die in the U.S., according to UNICEF. In parts of the country, access to healthcare is limited—only 37 percent of the population has been vaccinated against the measles. On top of that, more than 15 million people are without safe water and sanitation facilities. Despite grim figures, the country devastated by HIV/AIDS is slowly seeing declines in new infections—cases are down by one-third of what they were at the peak of the epidemic in 1993.

(Photo: Brandon Stanton)