In photos: 22 memorable moments from 2022

By World Vision Staff

A young girls smiles at a classroom desk with her hand rested on her pink cowboy hat.

(©2022 World Vision/photo by Andre Guardiola)

(©2022 World Vision/photo by Andre Guardiola)

In 2022, war in Ukraine made refugees of millions, disrupted crop exports from Ukraine and Russia, and sent food and fuel prices soaring in many parts of the world. This, combined with the lingering impacts of COVID-19, extreme weather conditions, and ongoing unrest in many countries left millions of people globally on the verge of famine. Despite such dire circumstances, World Vision photographers still witnessed many moments of joy and strength. Of all the photos they took this year, here are 22 of our favorites. 

An orange and blue boat on the water with two adults and about 20 schoolchildren wearing lifejackets.

In northern Kenya, a “school boat” ferries children to their school, accessible now only by boat after rising water levels in Lake Turkana caused families to be cut off from the mainland. We usually don’t think of life jackets and water safety as educational tools, but that’s what World Vision provided to make sure these children could safely attend their classes. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Martin Muluka)

An orange and blue boat on the water with two adults and about 20 schoolchildren wearing lifejackets.

Marina broke down in tears as she shared her story of fleeing the war in Ukraine and the people she left behind. Her children, 11-year-old Dima and 5-year-old Sonia, comforted their mom through their own tears. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Laura Reinhardt)

A Ukrainian boy and girl hug their mother in the shelter where they’ve been staying.

A World Vision staff member, wearing a mask, talks with a boy in yellow who is sitting in among the rubble of his home.
Jayla reads to her children, including a baby in a carrier, on the new sofa. Above them hangs a sign: Home Sweet Home.
A World Vision staff member, wearing a mask, talks with a boy in yellow who is sitting in among the rubble of his home.
Jayla reads to her children, including a baby in a carrier, on the new sofa. Above them hangs a sign: Home Sweet Home.

After Super Typhoon Rai (local name Odette) flattened homes in the Philippines, a World Vision disaster response team brought food packets to sponsored child Kenneth, 9, and his family — and more than 9,000 other families — along with other urgently needed supplies, like emergency shelter and kitchen kits, blankets, mosquito nets, and water purification tablets. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Lanelyn Carillo)

Sometimes the gift of a new couch means more than just furniture. That certainly was the case for 24-year-old single mother Jayla and her children in Newcastle, Pennsylvania. Thanks to corporate donations given through World Vision, churches and community partners can provide brand-new furniture to families who need it most.  

“It feels good ... if I have a hard day just to come home and sit down,” Jayla says. “It really does make a difference. It’s the comfort of it. It makes it more like a home.” (©2022 World Vision/photo by Laura Reinhardt)

People shield their faces against sand blowing in the wind. About 100 jerry cans sit in the foreground.

World Vision is the leading nongovernmental provider of clean water in the developing world. While the majority of our water work focuses on establishing lasting, sustainable access to clean water, we’re also ready with more immediate interventions in times of crisis. In Somaliland, where rainfall patterns are increasingly unpredictable, we responded with emergency water trucking to help affected communities survive the current drought conditions. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Gwayi Patrick)

People shield their faces against sand blowing in the wind. About 100 jerry cans sit in the foreground.
Five Afghan boys in traditional dress, two of them on colorful children’s bicycles, in a dusty setting in rural Afghanistan.

In rural Badghis Province, Afghanistan, children from surrounding villages come with their parents to a World Vision mobile health clinic. Staff drive over three hours to reach the remote site. For children in Afghanistan today, there are numerous obstacles to a full life — the worst drought in 40 years, malnutrition, the specter of child labor. But World Vision is supporting children and families in over 3,000 villages with life-saving aid and proven programs in areas such as food and nutrition assistance, healthcare, child protection services, and water, sanitation, and hygiene services. (©2022 World Vision/photo by World Vision Afghanistan staff)

Five Afghan boys in traditional dress, two of them on colorful children’s bicycles, in a dusty setting in rural Afghanistan.
In Zambia, four children sit around a covered pot, praying. In the background the moon rises over a thatched hut.
A grandma squats behind her smiling grandson, helping him wash his hands in a basin. To the left are giant water storage pots.
A smiling and warmly dressed mother and daughter hold cute pink piglets, while standing in a field on a farm.
Two Zambian girls wear headphones in a sound booth. One holds a piece of paper while the other speaks into a microphone.
A woman in an orange shirt with a Global 6K bib reaches out to the boy next to her wearing World Vision’s Global 6K shirt.
In Zambia, four children sit around a covered pot, praying. In the background the moon rises over a thatched hut.
A grandma squats behind her smiling grandson, helping him wash his hands in a basin. To the left are giant water storage pots.
A smiling and warmly dressed mother and daughter hold cute pink piglets, while standing in a field on a farm.
Two Zambian girls wear headphones in a sound booth. One holds a piece of paper while the other speaks into a microphone.
A woman in an orange shirt with a Global 6K bib reaches out to the boy next to her wearing World Vision’s Global 6K shirt.

Thanks to the goats her family received through World Vision, Chileleko (in blue) and her family have plenty to be thankful for. Before they were selected to participate in the goat-rearing program, Chileleko’s parents earned less than $2 every two weeks working odd jobs, which meant they were unable to afford nutritious food or school fees for their children. But the goats’ arrival was like money in the bank for the family. And more blessings await, since this year Chileleko got to choose her sponsor. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Agatha Mali)

Grandma Pha loves caring for her grandson while his mother works in a factory. With training from World Vision’s Grandmother Inclusive Approach in Cambodia, she and other grandmothers who serve as primary caregivers in their households have learned how to take even better care of their grandchildren through handwashing and nutritious meals — while also receiving support to better care for themselves, too. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Vanndeth Um)

With the piglets they received from a World Vision food security program in Guatemala, Johana, 9, and her mother have the best piggy bank of all — a financially secure foundation for their family. (©2022 World Vision/photo by André Guardiola)

When we think of child protection, most of us probably wouldn’t picture children broadcasting on the radio. But in Zambia, secondary-school children like Memory, 17, and Ruth, 12, learn broadcasting skills in order to share information about child protection in their community. These tools ensure their message reaches more people. Plus, they learn new skills and grow their confidence in the process, which benefits them for a lifetime. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Kambani Phiri)

Every year people around the world participate in World Vision’s Global 6K for water. Families, churches, and communities creatively raise funds beforehand, and then on the event day they go all out — dressing up and getting in the spirit of fun as they walk, roll, or run to help equip children and families around the world with access to clean water. (Photo by Darrell Goematt/Genesis Photos)

: A boy bowls at a World Vision Chosen event. The man kneeling next to him rests his arm on the boy’s wheelchair.

Wilber got to choose his sponsor at an event in his El Salvador community. He was shy when he entered the venue but loosened up and became more comfortable when a World Vision staff member began bowling with him. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Abner Ely Castillo Castillo)

: A boy bowls at a World Vision Chosen event. The man kneeling next to him rests his arm on the boy’s wheelchair.
A portrait of a strong young man with a determined gaze, his face glistening with sweat, looking into the distance.

Jordy’s mother, Melisica, had every reason to fear he would join a gang. His uncle had been killed by gangs active in the neighborhood. And when Jordy was 12, his beloved grandfather died. Without his grandfather’s protection, Jordy was at a crossroads. But through the grace of God and his church — Ministerio Silio, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras — Jordy turned to God. He focused his passion on becoming a leader in World Vision Peace Clubs. Now 18, Jordy is a mentor to other at-risk youth. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Jon Warren)

A portrait of a strong young man with a determined gaze, his face glistening with sweat, looking into the distance
A mother in an orange headscarf holds and kisses her newborn on a hospital bed with a lime-green mosquito net draped above.

Barely an hour after giving birth in a rural Niger clinic in March 2022, Haoua cradles her newborn son, instantly in love. She’ll give him a name a week later during a special ceremony, but for now she is grateful for the safe delivery, even though she had to bring her own water and other supplies for use during childbirth. The good news is that since then, the clinic has seen major improvements. The community and World Vision have constructed a mechanized water system, built latrines, and installed running water for better medical care — and safer deliveries for moms like Haoua. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Jon Warren)

A large wooden cross stands outside of a house under construction.
An Orthodox priest blesses parishioners and offerings of food by sprinkling them with holy water during the Easter service.
Framed by an open green door and sitting on a couch, a father helps his son do schoolwork.
A large wooden cross stands outside of a house under construction.
An Orthodox priest blesses parishioners and offerings of food by sprinkling them with holy water during the Easter service.
Framed by an open green door and sitting on a couch, a father helps his son do schoolwork.

On December 10, 2021, tornados tore through the midwestern and southern regions of the United States. Almost a year later, World Vision photographer Amy Van Drunen visited Kentucky to document World Vision’s response there alongside church partners. So far, 94 homes have been built across the region.

“The stories I heard were touching; I shared tears with almost everyone I interviewed,” Amy says. “In the wake of destruction, great love shined brighter. It still does. In Mayfield, Kentucky, the Hope Initiative, World Vision’s partner, is building homes for previous renters who no longer have somewhere to live. In Bowling Green, two brothers who work in construction are helping their community rebuild through Crossland Community Church. Recovery from disasters takes time — it’s a long process that outlasts the headlines. I’m proud to work with an organization that strives to be part of long-term recovery.” (©2022 World Vision/photo by Amy Van Drunen)

Orthodox Easter took on an even more special meaning as the war in Ukraine drove people to neighboring countries in search of shelter and safety. World Vision photographer Laura Reinhardt visited Moldova, where Easter services began Saturday evening around 10 or 11 p.m. Priests brought out the holy fire and lit candles held by people near the front of the church. Those people then passed the flame to others.

As the service continued through the night and into the early hours of Easter Sunday, hundreds of people gathered outside with baskets of food. Orthodox Christians fast from animal products during Lent, so these baskets of food contain all those items with which people will break their fast. They wait for the priests to bless the food with holy water, as pictured here. Every year people at Saint Dumitru Church in Chisinau, Moldova, contribute part of their food baskets toward a specific charity. This year they gave to refugees from Ukraine.

“In each one of our brothers, in each one of them we should see the face of Christ. And especially we see the face of God in people who have a special sorrow,” says Father Andrei Rusu. Laura, who captured the moment, offers this: “The church service and the outpouring of support by the Moldovan people is not something I’ll soon forget.” (©2022 World Vision/photo by Laura Reinhardt)

In early 2022, COVID-19 continued to disrupt schools in parts of the world — including here in Honduras, where Juan Carlos, 40, makes sure his 12-year-old son gives his full attention to the remote lessons that come across his mobile phone. Carlos is sponsored through World Vision, but in addition to the support that comes through Carlos’s sponsorship, his family has developed a thriving sweet potato farm thanks in part to their participation in a World Vision economic empowerment project that provides agricultural training and small business support. They even have a sweet potato contract with Walmart. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Jon Warren)

A young schoolgirl leaps from circle to circle on a mat covered with symbols of daily hygiene tasks

At Choompa Primary School in Hamaundu, Zambia, 17-year-old Mavis leaps from symbol to symbol, demonstrating scenarios in her day when she does something hygiene-related. In 2017, World Vision worked with the community to build a mechanized borehole, which serves Mavis’s school and the surrounding area. Access to education increased for girls who previously missed school to collect water for their household, and improved sanitation facilities enabled girls to stay in school during their menstrual cycles.

Mavis shares how she used to routinely miss up to five days every month due to her period: “I was not feeling good because I used to miss the topics, which my friends were in,” she says. Her grades reflected her absence, as there wasn’t time to catch up on the classes she missed.

Since water and sanitation measures were established at her school, Mavis’s grades have improved to an average of 99% — a stark increase from 40% before her school had water services.

World Vision also introduced a WASH Up Club, where Mavis and her peers learn about the best water, sanitation, and hygiene practices. Mavis and her friends take the material they learn in WASH Up Club and share them with the community through presentations and dramas. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Amy Van Drunen)

A young schoolgirl leaps from circle to circle on a mat covered with symbols of daily hygiene tasks
Leading a crowded church in worship, a line of girls shake tasseled tambourines over their heads and a group of boys dances.

With their boisterous youth-led worship, the congregation at Ministerio Silio church in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, holds nothing back as they sing praises to God. Based in a gang-controlled area, the church ministers deliberately to the members of their community. World Vision stands alongside them, offering support for youth programs and providing relief during disasters like hurricanes. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Jon Warren)

: Leading a crowded church in worship, a line of girls shake tasseled tambourines over their heads and a group of boys dances.
Children in school uniforms clap and laugh in celebration. In the background is a banner with logos, including World Vision’s.
A girl in Turkana, Kenya, looks into the camera, red and yellow beads on her neck contrasting with a turquoise wall backdrop.
Holding hands, children dance in a circle as the setting sun creates long shadows and lights up trees in the background.
Children in school uniforms clap and laugh in celebration. In the background is a banner with logos, including World Vision’s.
A girl in Turkana, Kenya, looks into the camera, red and yellow beads on her neck contrasting with a turquoise wall backdrop.
Holding hands, children dance in a circle as the setting sun creates long shadows and lights up trees in the background.

Joy is infectious! Jilienne, 11, center, and her friends to the left, Sophie, 13, and Louisina, 9, can’t contain their excitement at the opening of their school, rebuilt after it was damaged in the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Haiti in 2021. World Vision responded immediately with life-saving food, clean water, and shelter. Communities were equipped to repair infrastructure like the girls’ school. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Guy F. Vital-Herne)

Acharait’s dream as a 10-year-old Turkana girl is of a life full of opportunity. But the ongoing drought in East Africa devastated livestock and the economy. World Vision is supporting her family through cash transfers and Celebrating Families training — a World Vision program designed to promote positive and loving relationships, and hope and vision for the future. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Jon Warren)

Exuberant children take advantage of a break in a rainstorm, spinning in a circle through the golden light of the setting sun. Their future is bright. Decades of World Vision support through child sponsorship has transformed their Katito, Kenya community, laying a strong foundation for these children and their families to thrive. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Jon Warren)

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