Supported by the Millennium Development Goals Advocacy Group, photographer and founder of Humans of New York Brandon Stanton has taken his portrait project to a global scale.

Stanton will be photographing people in ten different countries and says that, “It would be rather foolish to claim that these portraits and stories somehow represent ‘the world’ or humanity as a whole. The point of the trip is not to ‘say’ anything about the world. But rather to visit some far away places, and listen to as many people as possible.”

Stanton explains that one of the main objectives of the tour is to raise awareness and prompt action to complete the Millennium Development Goals, to be accomplished by 2015. The Millennium Development Goals include the following:

1.

To eradicate extreme hunger and poverty

2.

To achieve universal primary education

3.

To promote gender equality and empower women

4.

To reduce child mortality

5.

To improve maternal health

6.

To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

7.

To ensure environmental sustainability

8.

To enhance and increase global partnership for development

Stanton began his journey in Iraq and has since traveled to Jordan. He will venture next to the Democratic Republic of Congo, then travel to Kenya and then his trip will lead him to Uganda. His only stop in Europe will be in Ukraine. He will then go to India, following which he will be in Vietnam, and then he will photograph in Ecuador. His last stop as of now is in the Amazon – but at the end of the tour, if he has the time and resources, he will go to photograph in El Salvador.

Stanton remarked on the Humans of New York website that on his trip, “In addition to telling stories of individuals, we hope this trip may in some way help to inspire a global perspective, while bringing awareness to the challenges that we all need to tackle together.”

-Jordyn Horowitz

Sources: United Nations, Humans of New York, ABC
Photo: The Epoch Times