https://ezramillstein.com/ weekly 1.0 https://ezramillstein.com/clients/exhibitions/awards monthly 0.8 https://ezramillstein.com/about monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/4R3A7425_1.jpg https://ezramillstein.com/contact monthly 0.8 https://ezramillstein.com/travels-in-india monthly 0.8 https://ezramillstein.com/yemen-conflict monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/smgs4yxw_hgvj19rn_i73v6n_yemen-201809-emillstein-0189.jpg Lahj, Yemen SEPTEMBER 2018 Hasan supports 14 family members, including his three children. His father and brother died in recent airstrikes. Many of his neighbors left the village at different times, fleeing the violence. He and his family chose to stay. They found it hard to get food, but received cash from Mercy Corps, which he used for medicine for his son, and food for the family. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/smgs4yxw_hgvj19rn_lw9p3e_yemen-201809-emillstein-2121.jpg Al Thurba, Yemen SEPTEMBER 2018 One year-old Anwar gets treatment at a mobile malnutrition clinic. He has been sick and malnourished, taking a turn for the worse when his family was forced to flee their home due to conflict. Families like his find relative safety in more rural areas, but these places can be difficult to access and pose challenges to getting resources like food and medical care. “During that trip, he was having diarrhea and vomiting,” explains his mother Sahar. “He was in a difficult situation. The trip took us three days, and there is no place on the road to take him to a hospital, so we just had to keep our focus on getting him here.” Mobile malnutrition screening clinics are one of several ways Mercy Corps is solving the challenges posed by the mountainous terrain of Yemen. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/smgs4yxw_hgvj19rn_13oatj_yemen-201809-emillstein-1249.jpg Lahj, Yemen SEPTEMBER 2018 Samira was widowed more than two decades ago, and has been working singelhandedly to support her family. Mercy Corps helped her by providing some goats, which she breeds and sells. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/smgs4yxw_hgvj19rn_89tlv6_yemen-201809-emillstein-1015.jpg Lahj, Yemen SEPTEMBER 2018 Ali, 9, peeks through the doorway of his family's home. His father Wassim used to work as a day laborer, trying to find work wherever he could to support his four children, but jobs are scarce in war-torn Yemen. He would travel far and still not be guaranteed to find enough work to support his family’s basic needs. Wassim was hired by a Mercy Corps cash-for-work project, and helped build an irrigation channel. He used the money to buy a cow and some sheep, and opened a vegetable stand, so he could begin to earn a regular income. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/smgs4yxw_hgvj19rn_p5lo21_yemen-201809-emillstein-1972.jpg Al Thurba, Yemen SEPTEMBER 2018 Fatima and her family fled the fighting in Hodeida, and took refuge in an abandonded school with more than 60 other families. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/smgs4yxw_hgvj19rn_pdkdtz_yemen-201809-emillstein-2037.jpg Al Thurba, Yemen SEPTEMBER, 2018 Entikhab has four children and is pregnant with her fifth. She and her family fled fighting in the port city of Hodeida, taking refuge in an abandoned school with more than 60 other families. “One day we woke up to the sound of rockets, Entikhab says. “We were really afraid. We didn’t feel safe. We sold everything we had, everything so we could leave.” They now live in a stairwell and the kids sleep with only a couple of blankets between them and the hard-tiled floor, kept up at night by rats and stinging insects. The family received emergency cash from Mercy Corps, which enabled Entikhab to purchase cooking fuel to safely prepare meals for her children. But their needs are still immense. “You can clearly see how difficult our situation is,” Entikhab says. “Our life is so hard. I am trying to go out and find work. Sometimes I come home with no money, and we go to sleep without food.” https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/smgs4yxw_hgvj19rn_hit8dd_yemen-201809-emillstein-1968.jpg Al Thurba, Yemen SEPTEMBER, 2018 Safiha and other members of a marginalized community in Yemen fled violence on Hodieda and sought shelter in an abandoned school. Around 60 families live here, but with no running water, no cooking facilities or bathrooms, and broken windows and doors, the building provides only the most rudimentary shelter. The space is sweltering in summer and bone-chillingly cold in winter, and infested with rats and insects. Safiha received a cash distribution from Mercy Corps to help her meet her basic needs. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/smgs4yxw_hgvj19rn_6qw00n_yemen-201809-emillstein-1902_1.jpg Al Thurba, Yemen SEPTEMBER 2018 This woman and her 3 week-old baby fled violence in Hodeida, and sought shelter in an abandoned school. Around 60 families live here, but with no running water, no cooking facilities or bathrooms, and broken windows and doors, the building provides only the most rudimentary shelter. The space is sweltering in summer and bone-chillingly cold in winter, and infested with rats and insects. She received a cash distribution from Mercy Corps to help her meet her basic needs. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/smgs4yxw_hgvj19rn_tcpwjf_yemen-201809-emillstein-1868.jpg Al Thurba, Yemen SEPTEMBER 2018 Fatima is a mother of six. She and her children fled escalating violence in Hodeida, and found shelter with other members from their marginalized community in an abandoned school. Her husband is injured and cannot seek work so, without an income, they struggle to meet their basic needs. The family received emergency cash from Mercy Corps which they used to purchase food and clothing for the children. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/smgs4yxw_hgvj19rn_mph7lr_yemen-201809-emillstein-3399-copy.jpg Al Mahweet, Yemen SEPTEMBER 2018 Abdullah and his 7-year-old daughter Nehan in a cholera isolation unit, where Nehan has just begun receiving treatment. Mercy Corps is providing cholera clinics with beds, IV fluids and water to help them meet the increasing needs of patients like her. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/smgs4yxw_hgvj19rn_ih2jcb_yemen-201809-emillstein-3669_1.jpg Al Mahweet, Yemen SEPTEMBER 2018 When Khalid’s younger son, Mohammed, fell severely ill from cholera, he carried him for two hours on his back through the mountains to receive treatment. His 10-year-old son Ali is also sick. Mercy Corps is providing cholera clinics in Yemen with beds, IV fluids and water to help them meet the increasing needs of patients like Mohammed. “They are providing us with everything, as I have nothing,” Khalid says of the clinic. “Whenever one of my family members get sick, I just bring them here.” https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/smgs4yxw_hgvj19rn_p0ykoa_yemen-201809-emillstein-5212_1.jpg Al Mahweet, Yemen SEPTEMBER 2018 Rassam, 7, with a jerrycan full of water. His mother Nadia has one wish: for the war in Yemen to stop. Because of the current conflict, her kids can’t attend school; they don’t have enough food; they can’t afford to go to the doctor; and they live in constant fear. “With the current war, there is no future for us or for our kids,” she says. Mercy Corps built a water point in their community, providing them with a safe, affordable source of clean water. Now that they don’t have to rely on expensive water trucking, they can focus their income on other things they need to survive. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/smgs4yxw_hgvj19rn_uhoxih_yemen-201809-emillstein-6185.jpg Al Mahweet, Yemen SEPTEMBER 2018 Malak stands in the hallways of her family's home. Her father Najib is a skilled laborer, a mason and plasterer, but the crisis in Yemen has made it difficult for him to support his family. Mercy Corps hired him as part of a cash-for-work program to build a retaining wall. When people have a marketable skill, it improves their chances and gives them more ways to survive. https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/smgs4yxw_hgvj19rn_imezic_yemen-201809-emillstein-6018.jpg Al Mahweet, Yemen SEPTEMBER 2018 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/smgs4yxw_hgvj19rn_9kbrxj_yemen-201809-emillstein-7132.jpg Al Mahweet, Yemen SEPTEMBER 2018 The rugged mountains of northern Yemen. https://ezramillstein.com/syria-crisis monthly 0.8 https://ezramillstein.com/recovering-from-boko-haram monthly 0.8 https://ezramillstein.com/children-of-mosul monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/iraq-201707-emillstein-3565.jpg Qayyarah Jeddah, Iraq JULY 2017 Abdulrahman Saleh sleeps on the floor just inside his family's tent at the Jeddah IDP camp. His family has been displaced for 9 months, since their home was completely destroyed. “We left only with the clothes we were wearing. We were in the desert for three days without anything,” says Yaser's mother, Sana Fathi Abdullah Younes. They are one of 400 families that received NFI kits from Mercy Corps on this day; the kit included 6 blankets, 2 jerrycans, a tarp and a rope. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/iraq-201707-emillstein-3476.jpg Qayyarah Jeddah, Iraq JULY 2017 A boy looks out the window of his family's tent at the Jeddah IDP camp. Families fleeing the violence in Mosul are often unable to bring anything with them. In displacement camps, Mercy Corps is delivering essential supplies to help people survive. New arrival kits include: cooking pot and pan, plates, glasses, silverware, serving spoon, stainless steel kitchen knife, 6 light weight blankets, 1 rope, 1 tarp and 2 jerry cans. To provide one family with these household essentials costs approximately $70 USD / 60 Euro / 54 GBP. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/iraq-201707-emillstein-2463.jpg Mosul, Iraq JULY 2017 Ibrahim, 6, is the youngest of Wasila’s three children. Her husband was a police officer who was killed during the recent conflict. She herself was beaten many times, and her daughter Sarah still suffers from her wounds, and from what she termed a “mental shock.” Her son Ibrahim is shy. She says that Ibrahim says he wants to be a policeman. Wasila said that Ibrahim "keeps it in his heart. He processes these things in his mind.” They received a $400 cash distribution from Mercy Corps, which they will use for food, cooking gas, and to pay the generator supplier for electricity. Cash assistance is the quickest and most efficient way of helping because people can buy what they and their families need most. Since July 2016, Mercy Corps has helped more than 12,000 families impacted by conflict around Mosul. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/iraq-201707-emillstein-1688.jpg Mosul, Iraq JULY 2017 Shahad Moatez Hashem, 5, plays on an improvised swing. She lives with her grandmother, Faiza Abdulrazak Aziz. Faiza and her extended family fled from ISIS. There is nothing left at their house; their car was burned and their home was destroyed. They share a home with five families. She has six children, three boys and three girls, and six grandchildren living in the shared house. The family received a $400 cash distribution from Mercy Corps. Cash assistance is the quickest and most efficient way of helping because people can buy what they and their families need most. Since July 2016, Mercy Corps has helped more than 12,000 families impacted by conflict around Mosul. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/iraq-201707-emillstein-1663.jpg Mosul, Iraq JULY 2017 Mustafa, 9, carries his 6 month-old cousin Rayan. They live with their grandmother, Faiza Abdulrazak Aziz, She and her extended family fled from ISIS. There is nothing left at their house; their car was burned and their home was destroyed. They share a home with five families. She has six children, three boys and three girls, and six grandchildren living in the shared house. The family received a $400 cash distribution from Mercy Corps. Cash assistance is the quickest and most efficient way of helping because people can buy what they and their families need most. Since July 2016, Mercy Corps has helped more than 12,000 families impacted by conflict around Mosul. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/iraq-201707-emillstein-2973.jpg Qayyarah Jeddah, Iraq JULY 2017 Muthana Raeed, 6, and her family went to an NFI distribution at the Jeddah IDP camp. Families fleeing the violence in Mosul are often unable to bring anything with them. In displacement camps, Mercy Corps is delivering essential supplies to help people survive. New arrival kits include: cooking pot and pan, plates, glasses, silverware, serving spoon, stainless steel kitchen knife, 6 light weight blankets, 1 rope, 1 tarp and 2 jerry cans. To provide one family with these household essentials costs approximately $70 USD / 60 Euro / 54 GBP. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/iraq-201707-emillstein-2982.jpg Qayyarah Jeddah, Iraq. JULY 2017 Muthana Raeed (6, bottom) and her sister Mazin (13, top) went to an NFI distribution at the Jeddah IDP camp. Families fleeing the violence in Mosul are often unable to bring anything with them. In displacement camps, Mercy Corps is delivering essential supplies to help people survive. New arrival kits include: cooking pot and pan, plates, glasses, silverware, serving spoon, stainless steel kitchen knife, 6 light weight blankets, 1 rope, 1 tarp and 2 jerry cans. To provide one family with these household essentials costs approximately $70 USD / 60 Euro / 54 GBP. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/iraq-201707-emillstein-3252.jpg Qayyarah Jeddah, Iraq JULY 2017 Freeal Jummah, 15, holds two jerrycans that her family received as part of a Mercy Corps NFI distribution. Hers is one of 400 families that received NFI kits from Mercy Corps on this day; the kit included 6 blankets, 2 jerrycans, a tarp and a rope. Before the crisis, her family farmed for a living. They fled the fighting in Shirqat, south of Mosul, and have been in IDP camps since January. Freeal and her siblings wait in line for water twice a day for up to an hour. Her mother, Hela Salama Jummah, said "This is my country, my birthplace. I would hope to be able to go home.” https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/IMG_9495_1.jpg Khabat, Iraq JULY 2017 Youth, IDPs and refugees attend a music class at a Mercy Corps Youth Center. Boys and girls have the opportunity to attend courses there for a few hours a day from Sunday to Thursday each week. The classes include language, music, media and sports. https://ezramillstein.com/mercy-corps---africa monthly 0.8 https://ezramillstein.com/mercy-corps---asia monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/indonesia-201805-emillstein-1732.jpg Terara, Indonesia MAY 2018 Women transplant rice seedlings. They are members of a farmers group, which is helping them and the other farmers learn how to grow stronger, heartier crops in the face of worsening drought. Lombok is extremely vulnerable to climate change, with shorter rainy seasons and longer dry seasons that put precious harvests at risk. Mercy Corps has helped the farmers group he mentors endure drought with better farming practices and business training. Mercy Corps trains farmers to organize local farmers groups where farmers work together and support each other. They also learn to start agribusinesses to supplement their income. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/indonesia-201805-emillstein-1640.jpg Terara, Indonesia MAY 2018 Women farmers transplant rice seedlings in Pak Sahwil's fields. They are members of a farmers group, which is helping them and the other farmers learn how to grow stronger, heartier crops in the face of worsening drought. Lombok is extremely vulnerable to climate change, with shorter rainy seasons and longer dry seasons that put precious harvests at risk. Sahwil, 42, is a lifelong farmer on Lombok, and the son of rice farmers. He can recall the dry seasons as far back as 15 years. As he gets older, he worries about longer droughts causing harvest failure. “Sometimes, climate change causes failure. What I feel the most is a long dry season,” he says. On Lombok, the dry season is now regularly starting a month earlier and lasting a month longer, leading to dangerous water shortages for farmers. “I’m very worried. Not just for next year, but even for this year. Accessing water is becoming difficult,” Pak Sawhil says. Mercy Corps has helped Pak Sawhil and the farmers group he mentors endure drought with better farming practices and business training. “Our objective as farmers is to increase our production. Because the Mercy Corps mission is the same as ours, we cooperate. This is a good opportunity, in my opinion,” he says. Mercy Corps trains farmers like Pak Sawhil to organize local farmers groups where farmers work together and support each other. They also learn to start agribusinesses to supplement their income. Pak Sawhil also works for the governmental agriculture agency. When he saw how Mercy Corps was improving local farmers, he extended the partnership to other districts. “Because Mercy Corps is successful with my group, I share the knowledge with the group in this village,” he says. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/indonesia-201805-emillstein-1035.jpg Terara, Indonesia MAY 2018 Pak Sahwil, 42, stands in his vegetable fields. He is a rice farmer on Lombok in eastern Indonesia. Mercy Corps is helping him and the 60 other farmers in his farmers group learn how to grow stronger, heartier crops in the face of worsening drought. Lombok is extremely vulnerable to climate change, with shorter rainy seasons and longer dry seasons that put precious harvests at risk. A lifelong farmer on Lombok—and the son of rice farmers—Pak Sahwil can recall the dry seasons as far back as 15 years. As he gets older, he worries about longer droughts causing harvest failure. “Sometimes, climate change causes failure. What I feel the most is a long dry season,” he says. On Lombok, the dry season is now regularly starting a month earlier and lasting a month longer, leading to dangerous water shortages for farmers. “I’m very worried. Not just for next year, but even for this year. Accessing water is becoming difficult,” Pak Sahwil says. Mercy Corps has helped Pak Sahwil and the farmers group he mentors endure drought with better farming practices and business training. “Our objective as farmers is to increase our production. Because the Mercy Corps mission is the same as ours, we cooperate. This is a good opportunity, in my opinion,” he says. Mercy Corps trains farmers like Pak Sahwil to organize local farmers groups where farmers work together and support each other. They also learn to start agribusinesses to supplement their income. Pak Sahwil also works for the governmental agriculture agency. When he saw how Mercy Corps was improving local farmers, he extended the partnership to other districts. “Because Mercy Corps is successful with my group, I share the knowledge with the group in this village,” he says. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/indonesia-201805-emillstein-2934.jpg Terara, Indonesia MAY 2018 Ida sits on bags of recently harvested rice. At 23 years old, she is the youngest female farmer in Terara, a small village on the island of Lombok. As far as she knows, she’s the youngest farmer in all four neighboring villages as well. Ida started working in the rice fields when she was 13 years old, in the seventh grade. She learned how to farm by watching her parents and her two older brothers, who’ve been farming since she was born. Ida’s dream was to become a pilot — to explore outside of her village. Instead, she’s followed in the footsteps of her family. She dropped out of school after the ninth grade, in 2012, as a result of mounting pressure from her parents – particularly her mother – who felt she should be helping them in the field instead of studying. Ida’s mom holds a very conservative, traditional Indonesian view. She never went to school, and believes there’s no need for girls to pursue higher education. In part, because it’s difficult to find jobs with or without education, but mostly because she believes they’re needed most at home – to take care of the family and tend to the fields. When Ida’s asked if she enjoys farming, she says she does because she has to, because there’s no other choice. As the treasurer of her farmer group, Ida is one of the most trusted members in her community, tasked with tracking and managing finances each month. It’s a position with great responsibility, which requires high attention to detail. Mercy Corps is helping Ida and her group produce greater yields in the face of an increasingly challenging climate by providing training on effective farming practices. We have also provided training in administration and financial reporting, so Ida and other leaders of her group are better positioned to help their group stay strong. Mercy Corps has also connected Ida to Mandiri Cash, which has allowed her to both save time and money — about 2 million rupiah of her own savings ($143 USD). https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/indonesia-201805-emillstein-2846.jpg Terara, Indonesia MAY 2018 Pak Sahwil, 42, stands in his fields. He is a rice farmer on Lombok in eastern Indonesia. Mercy Corps is helping him and the 60 other farmers in his farmers group learn how to grow stronger, heartier crops in the face of worsening drought. Lombok is extremely vulnerable to climate change, with shorter rainy seasons and longer dry seasons that put precious harvests at risk. A lifelong farmer on Lombok—and the son of rice farmers—Pak Sahwil can recall the dry seasons as far back as 15 years. As he gets older, he worries about longer droughts causing harvest failure. “Sometimes, climate change causes failure. What I feel the most is a long dry season,” he says. On Lombok, the dry season is now regularly starting a month earlier and lasting a month longer, leading to dangerous water shortages for farmers. “I’m very worried. Not just for next year, but even for this year. Accessing water is becoming difficult,” Pak Sahwil says. Mercy Corps has helped Pak Sahwil and the farmers group he mentors endure drought with better farming practices and business training. “Our objective as farmers is to increase our production. Because the Mercy Corps mission is the same as ours, we cooperate. This is a good opportunity, in my opinion,” he says. Mercy Corps trains farmers like Pak Sahwil to organize local farmers groups where farmers work together and support each other. They also learn to start agribusinesses to supplement their income. Pak Sahwil also works for the governmental agriculture agency. When he saw how Mercy Corps was improving local farmers, he extended the partnership to other districts. “Because Mercy Corps is successful with my group, I share the knowledge with the group in this village,” he says. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/indonesia-201805-emillstein-3050.jpg Terara, Indonesia MAY 2018 Muhammad Nuh Gazali, 39, holds his son, Muhammad Cholil Al Gazali, 4, at the end of a day of harvesting. Indonesia’s farmers help feed 249 million people. But climate change is threatening their way of life with longer droughts and erratic rainy seasons that threaten the harvests they rely on. In Indonesia, climate change is an ever-present reality. The average temperature in Lombok has risen nearly three degrees since 1948, and is predicted to rise another two degrees by 2060—a dangerous reality for farmers who depend on the climate to survive. Droughts in Lombok can last for months and threaten the precious harvests that farmers rely on. Rainfall in Indonesia has decreased by 3 percent since 1900 and climate change is expected to get worse over the next 50 years. Lombok is predicted to experience a massive decline in water reserves by 2030, threatening the island’s farmers and the people who rely on their harvests to survive. In just 20 years, the risk of crop failure due to climate change is expected to double on Lombok. In one of the world’s most vulnerable places to climate change, Mercy Corps has helped more than 6,000 farmers increase their yields and the incomes that support their families. Over the next three years, Mercy Corps aims to help 20,000 rice farmers in Indonesia increase their incomes by at least 28 percent. Mercy Corps teaches rice farmers how to select the best seeds to plant and the best time of year to plant them, as well as how to detect and treat disease. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/indonesia-201805-emillstein-2716.jpg Terara, Indonesia MAY 2018 Muhammad Nuh Gazali, 39, stands among smoke from burning rice chaff at the end of a day of harvesting. Indonesia’s farmers help feed 249 million people. But climate change is threatening their way of life with longer droughts and erratic rainy seasons that threaten the harvests they rely on. In Indonesia, climate change is an ever-present reality. The average temperature in Lombok has risen nearly three degrees since 1948, and is predicted to rise another two degrees by 2060—a dangerous reality for farmers who depend on the climate to survive. Droughts in Lombok can last for months and threaten the precious harvests that farmers rely on. Rainfall in Indonesia has decreased by 3 percent since 1900 and climate change is expected to get worse over the next 50 years. Lombok is predicted to experience a massive decline in water reserves by 2030, threatening the island’s farmers and the people who rely on their harvests to survive. In just 20 years, the risk of crop failure due to climate change is expected to double on Lombok. In one of the world’s most vulnerable places to climate change, Mercy Corps has helped more than 6,000 farmers increase their yields and the incomes that support their families. Over the next three years, Mercy Corps aims to help 20,000 rice farmers in Indonesia increase their incomes by at least 28 percent. Mercy Corps teaches rice farmers how to select the best seeds to plant and the best time of year to plant them, as well as how to detect and treat disease. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/timorleste-201805-emillstein-2642.jpg Maubisse, Timor-Leste MAY 2018 Rainbows form over the beautiful, rugged mountains of central Timor-Leste, one of the hungriest countries in the world. Low crop diversity is only compounded by frequent floods and landslides during the rainy season and drought conditions during the dry season, which pose serious threats to food security. Nearly one-quarter of the population is undernourished, and more than 50 percent of children under 5 are stunted. During the lean season each year, from October to March, nearly two-thirds of the population suffers food shortages. Mercy Corps is helping vulnerable farming communities work together to increase their resilience in the face of climate change, providing the tools and resources they need to grow stronger crops and persevere. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/timorleste-201805-emillstein-0453.jpg Faturedalau, Timor-Leste MAY 2018 Romeo, 28, holds his daughter Maria, 2. His niece Lourdes is a 19-year-old girl whose dream is to become the Minister of Education. For four years now, she’s been using a solar lantern provided by Mercy Corps to study at night, after completing her daily chores. When asked if she had any advice or words of encouragement to share with other, younger Timorese girls who are chasing their own dreams, Lourdes said "Being young, a girl, is something to be grateful for. Take the opportunity to chase your dreams — while your parents are still here, while they’re still able to educate you and send you to school. Go to school, and take advantage of any opportunity to focus on your dreams. Don’t think about something else. Most girls in Timor marry young. Please, don’t get married young. Finish your education, find a job, and help your parents, give back to your parents for helping educate you.” https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/timorleste-201805-emillstein-1854.jpg Mulo, Timor-Leste MAY 2018 Moises Lopes, 10, rests after collecting water in the central highlands of Timor-Leste. His village has benefitted from Mercy Corps programs. Americo Pereira, 45, is a community leader from Mulo. He says that Mercy Corps M-RED program has benefitted the village tremendously. “I’m really thankful and happy for all the things that the Mercy Corps M-RED program has done for us. Before, we didn't have any knowledge of farming techniques, but because of the Mercy Corps intervention, now we understand and know how to use techniques to make sure that we have a good plantation and a good harvest.” Farming in Timor-Leste depends on the dry and rainy seasons. Because of climate change, the dry seasons are longer and the rains are harder to predict. That leaves farmers with less to feed their families. Hunger is a serious problem in Timor-Leste, where most families in the rural mountains depend on farming to survive. Mercy Corps is helping farmers manage their own farmers groups, where local communities pull together rather than work alone. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/timorleste-201805-emillstein-2055.jpg Mulo, Timor-Leste. MAY 2018 Cazmira Cordoso lives in the remote mountainous village of Mulo, where Mercy Corps is helping 20 households work together to feed their children, make a living, and become more resilient to the adverse effects of climate change. Villagers’ homes and garden plots are scattered up and down a steep mountainside. There’s evidence of climate stress everywhere. Cracked dirt and clouds of dust show signs of little rain. Steep drop offs show the trails of past landslides, and new man-made barriers (gabion baskets, or caged rocks) stand waiting to shield homes and roads from the next. The dry seasons are getting longer here and the rains are becoming harder to predict. That leaves farmers like Cazmira with less to feed their families. As the dry season gets worse, life will only get harder. Knowing how to properly plant and care for their crops has become a key ingredient to a good harvest. Because they might not be able to control the weather, but they can make sure they’re using the best practices to increase their chances of success. With training from Mercy Corps, Cazmira’s community is growing legumes (red beans) to eat and sell. They’ve also built a wall of bamboo to protect their gardens further downhill from future landslides and flash floods. Each household has their own plot of legumes, but they all support one another. Together they plant and harvest as a group, and then sell and divide the earnings. Cazmira and the other women in her group plant these legumes twice a year. This crop, planted before the dry season, will likely die. The ones that survive will be used for seed for the rainy season. Those will be sold to provide for their families. Each household produces about 20 buckets of legumes a year. Each bucket (25 liters) sells for $30 USD. Through the M-RED program, Mercy Corps is working with 35 other vulnerable small farming communities in Timor-Leste who are living in hazard-prone areas vulnerable to drought, flash floods and landslides. By employing smart farming techniques and taking various disaster risk reduction measures, these communities are becoming more resilient to the adverse effects of climate change. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/timorleste-201805-emillstein-3119.jpg Liurai, Timor-Leste. MAY 2018 Evaristo Soares, 40, stands next to his bamboo rainwater collection system. His remote rural community is a three-hour walk from the nearest market. Climate change has disrupted the rainy seasons they have depended on for generations, making it especially challenging for this community of 39 families to provide for themselves. Rains are scarce, and water is precious. Earlier this year, Mercy Corps taught Evaristo and the other farmers in his community to build rainwater harvesting systems out of bamboo to collect precious rainwater and better endure Timor-Leste’s worsening dry seasons. Before this rainwater collection system, Evaristo and his community had to walk 40 minutes to the nearest water source — and during the dry season, there was often nothing but a dry riverbed. Evaristo says “We love the keyhole gardening and the rainwater harvesting because these two things support each other. Before, we depended on the coffee. We harvested it once or twice a year and had to wait to sell and be able to buy things. Now we have keyhole gardening and we have water to water our vegetables and all the vegetation in the garden. Even in just two months we can harvest something and sell it.” https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/nepal-201803-emillstein-0345.jpg Chyamrangbesi, Nepal MARCH 2018 Sabitri Phuyal and her husband, Shyam Prasad Dahal, work in their vegetable fields, surrounded by boulders that rained down on their village during the earthquake of 2015. They depended on their vegetable farm for food and income until the 2015 earthquakes triggered a landslide that wiped out their fields and made it unsafe for them to live in their home. They lived in a temporary shelter with four other families for nine months, and couldn’t work, until Mercy Corps built a gabion wall that secured the hillside above the couple’s home. After the wall was built, Shyam and Sabitri finally felt safe enough to return and begin rebuilding their lives. They took a Mercy Corps’-facilitated vegetable farming training and received plastic sheeting to build a greenhouse, and also participated in Mercy Corps’ family dialogue training, which helps women and heads of household work to together to become stronger and more resilient. “We had lost all hope of coming back. With all that happened, we don't have enough wealth to relocate somewhere else and start a new life as well. So we got encouragement to start farming here, start making our livelihood here again,” says Shyam. “I feel happy when he asks me for my opinion,” Sabitri says. “Before he would just do it himself, and he would work in the fields himself. And I would just think, 'OK that's his job. I'll just let him do it.' But when he asks me, I feel like, 'OK, this is my responsibility too.' I feel good about it. “ https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/nepal-201803-emillstein-0471.jpg Chyamrangbesi, Nepal MARCH 2018 Sabitri Phuyal weeds her family's tomato plants. She and her husband Shyam Prasad depended on their vegetable farm for food and income until the 2015 earthquakes triggered a landslide that wiped out their fields and made it unsafe for them to live in their home. They lived in a temporary shelter with four other families for nine months, and couldn’t work, until Mercy Corps built a gabion wall that secured the hillside above the couple’s home. After the wall was built, Shyam and Sabitri finally felt safe enough to return and begin rebuilding their lives. They took a Mercy Corps’-facilitated vegetable farming training and received plastic sheeting to build a greenhouse, and also participated in Mercy Corps’ family dialogue training, which helps women and heads of household work to together to become stronger and more resilient. “We had lost all hope of coming back. With all that happened, we don't have enough wealth to relocate somewhere else and start a new life as well. So we got encouragement to start farming here, start making our livelihood here again,” says Shyam. “I feel happy when he asks me for my opinion,” Sabitri says. “Before he would just do it himself, and he would work in the fields himself. And I would just think, 'OK that's his job. I'll just let him do it.' But when he asks me, I feel like, 'OK, this is my responsibility too.' I feel good about it. “ https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/nepal-201803-emillstein-2518.jpg Bethanchok, Nepal MARCH 2018 Sunmaya Rumba lives at the top of a tall, craggly stone staircase in a community badly affected by the 2015 earthquakes. Her home still shows the damage: the second story is pocked and cracked and looks as though it may crumble at any moment. When Sunmaya heard Mercy Corps’ was providing mason training to help people rebuild earthquake resistant homes, she was motivated to help her community recover and mobilized a group in her community to participate. She successfully completed the 50-day training to become a mason, and though it’s difficult for her to get hired as a woman, she was able to use her skills to rebuild the home of her mother-in-law, Thulimaya Waiba (in background), which was destroyed in the disaster. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/nepal-201803-emillstein-2633.jpg Bethanchok, Nepal MARCH 2018 Sunmaya Rumba lives at the top of a tall, craggly stone staircase in a community badly affected by the 2015 earthquakes. Her home still shows the damage: the second story is pocked and cracked and looks as though it may crumble at any moment. When Sunmaya heard Mercy Corps’ was providing mason training to help people rebuild earthquake resistant homes, she was motivated to help her community recover and mobilized a group in her community to participate. Sunmaya successfully completed the 50-day training to become a mason, and though it’s difficult for her to get hired as a woman, she was able to use her skills to rebuild the home of her mother-in-law, which was destroyed in the disaster. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/nepal-201803-emillstein-3637.jpg Raitenpur, Nepal MARCH 2018 Anjana Chaudhary, 16, is a bashful, giggly teenager with sparkly eyes and huge smile. She is in grade 9 at the secondary school in her village, a rural area in westernmost Nepal where girls face extreme challenges to receiving an education, including the pressure to marry early, unequal household responsibilities, and a lack of familial support. Over 50 percent of girls in Kailari are not enrolled in school, and 40 percent are married before their 18th birthday. Mercy Corps’ STEM program supports in-school girls with extra tutoring sessions in math and science two days per week to help them complete their education. Mercy Corps also improves infrastructure when needed; Anjana’s school received a water tap and improved sanitation facilities, that lack of which were previously causing dropouts. Participating in the program has helped Anjana build confidence and thrive in her classes, and she plans to stay in school so she can get a good job when she is older. "I was able to learn more than in regular school," she says of the tutoring sessions. I wanted to do it, "because it will make my future bright." Anjana’s mother, Balkumari, also participated in the parent training Mercy Corps facilitated at the school, which aims to increase parents’ support of girls’ education. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/nepal-201803-emillstein-3094_1.jpg Fulbari, Nepal MARCH 2018 Dil Kumarf Poudel, 35, cares for her two children and runs her household alone, as her husband has migrated to Malaysia to work as a daily wage laborer. Livelihood opportunities are scarce here, especially for girls, who face incredible barriers to education and income generation, including the pressure to marry early, unequal household responsibilities, and a lack of familial support. Dil married at 15 — while in grade 8 — but continued her studies, even though it was difficult. However, after she failed her grade 10 exam and got pregnant, she dropped out completely, instead tending to her children full time and supporting them with them with agricultural work. She regretted not completing her education and felt her life could never improve. (The grade 10 exam is equivalent to a high school diploma and is required for higher education or skilled work.)Mercy Corps’ STEM program supports out-of-school girls age 16-30 with life skills education, financial literacy classes and access to loans, so they can build better livelihoods and improve their lives. Dil began attending the program meetings several years ago, a move that transformed her view of herself and helped her build the confidence to retake her grade 10 exam and complete her education. With her grade 10 certification, she has been able to take a position on the board of the local school and now works to improve its facilities and ensure students get the education they deserve. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/nepal-201803-emillstein-5253.jpg Lalitpur, Nepal MARCH 2018 Seema Chaudhary, 23, separates lentils from chaff. For years Lalitpur — a small, indigenous Tharu village of 22 households — was at risk from the nearby river: the water would rise repeatedly, and quickly, wiping out crops and livestock and forcing families from their homes. Ten years ago the flooding was so bad it killed all the livestock and displaced the entire community. Mercy Corps’ M-RED program operates in this region — which is highly vulnerable to climate-related disasters — building mitigation structures and helping communities strengthen their livelihoods and prepare for future crises. With Mercy Corps’ support, Seema’s community worked together to plant sugarcane along the river bank to hold back the water, and began cultivating it in the nearby fields to sell to nearby sugar factories. The flood risk was decreased so much after the planting the community was able to reclaim 40 hectares of land for farming and living, and they continue to grow sugarcane together for income that is invested in shared equipment and resources for the community. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/nepal-201803-emillstein-5468.jpg Lalitpur, Nepal MARCH 2018 Soniya Devi Chaudhary, 54, separates lentils from chaff. For years Lalitpur — a small, indigenous Tharu village of 22 households — was at risk from the nearby river: the water would rise repeatedly, and quickly, wiping out crops and livestock and forcing families from their homes. Ten years ago the flooding was so bad it killed all the livestock and displaced the entire community. Mercy Corps’ M-RED program operates in this region — which is highly vulnerable to climate-related disasters — building mitigation structures and helping communities strengthen their livelihoods and prepare for future crises. With Mercy Corps’ support, Soniya’s community worked together to plant sugarcane along the river bank to hold back the water, and began cultivating it in the nearby fields to sell to nearby sugar factories. The flood risk was decreased so much after the planting the community was able to reclaim 40 hectares of land for farming and living, and they continue to grow sugarcane together for income that is invested in shared equipment and resources for the community. Soniya also participated in Mercy Corps’ financial literacy training and has learned how to save money. She says she now raises pigs and grows other vegetables now that the risk of flooding is lower. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/nepal-201803-emillstein-4854.jpg Lalitpur, Nepal MARCH 2018 Sarita Chaudhary, 54, plants sugarcane. For years her community — a small, indigenous Tharu village of 22 households — was at risk from the nearby river: the water would rise repeatedly, and quickly, wiping out crops and livestock and forcing families from their homes. Ten years ago the flooding was so bad it killed all the livestock and displaced the entire community. Without animals or land to farm on, Sarita had no way to provide for her children, and nowhere else to go. To help Sarita and the community build resilience to climate-related flooding, Mercy Corps helped them learn to grow sugarcane, planting it along the river bank to hold back the water and cultivating it in the nearby fields to be sell to local sugar factories for income. The flood risk was decreased so much after the planting the community was able to reclaim 40 hectares of land for farming and living, allowing every family to return home, including Sarita’s. https://ezramillstein.com/mercy-corps---latin-america monthly 0.8 https://ezramillstein.com/habitat-for-humanity-international monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/JCWP-11-16952-EM.jpg Léogâne, Haiti NOVEMBER 6, 2011 Former President Jimmy Carter inspects one of the new homes built on the site of the 2011 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-27630-EM.jpg Port-au-Prince, Haiti NOVEMBER 11, 2010 Samdi Ednan lives in Cité Soleil, an extremely impoverished and densely populated area of Port-au-Prince. Habitat for Humanity is reaching out to his community, in order to help improve housing. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/ARME-08-11652-EM.jpg Nshavan, Armenia OCTOBER 8, 2008 Volunteer Gegham Badalyan sands the ceiling of Lyuba Stepanyan's bedroom. Her house is being renovated thanks to Habitat for Humanity Armenia. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/ARME-08-11604-EM.jpg Nshavan, Armenia OCTOBER 8, 2008 A bucket of paint in a bedroom in Lyuba Stepanyan's house, which is being renovated thanks to Habitat for Humanity Armenia. As much as 70 percent of the community's housing stock is need of rebuilding or serious renovation, and 30 percent does not meet minimum building standards. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/ARME-08-12566-EM.jpg Karakert, Armenia OCTOBER 10, 2008 Norayr Sargsyan inside his family's dilapidated apartment, in a crumbling Soviet-era apartment building. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/ARME-08-12884-EM.jpg Armavir, Armenia OCTOBER 10, 2008 Six year-old Diego Manasyan lives with his mother Ellada and his two sisters in this deserted and crumbling Soviet-era building. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/ARME-08-12801-EM.jpg Armavir, Armenia OCTOBER 10, 2008 Six year-old Diego Manasyan lives with his mother Ellada and his two sisters in this deserted and crumbling Soviet-era building. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/TAJI-10-12349-EM.jpg Shulonak, Tajikistan MAY 26, 2010 Zaitunbi Mardonova stands on the porch of her family's house, which is being reinforced against earthquakes thanks to a microloan through Habitat for Humanity Tajikistan. The home was damaged by an earthquake during the summer of 2008. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/UGAN-10-30142-EM.jpg Mayuge, Uganda DECEMBER 10, 2010 A child peers through the slats of a church, at a Habitat for HumanityUganda training. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/ZAMB-14-17333-EM.jpg Ndola, Zambia AUGUST 4, 2014 Bupe Malisawa, 14, and her mother Anna, 32, live in the Twapia community in Zambia's copper belt. They have lived in their home for two years; it is part of Habitat for Humanity Zambia's Rural, Urban and Peri-Urban Program, which helps to build low-cost houses for the working poor, who are able to repay a no-profit mortgage over five years. ©Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/ZAMB-14-18243-EM.jpg Lusaka, Zambia AUGUST 6, 2014 Taonga Mikasu, 5, washes dishes with her grandmother Anna Lupasha, 56, in the Chazanga community. Anna takes care of three grandchildren. They have lived in their home since 2013; it was built as part of the Orphans and Vulnerable Children program (OVC) at Habitat for Humanity Zambia. HFH Zambia created its OVC housing program in 2005, in order to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic that was creating an overwhelming number of orphans. The OVC program focuses on providing appropriate, fully subsidized houses to specifically orphaned and vulnerable children under the age of 18. The project is supported by Irish Aid through Habitat for Humanity Ireland, and is being implemented in Ndola in the Copperbelt Province, and in urban slums around Lusaka. ©Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/CANA-16-13565-EM.jpg Barrhead, Alberta, Canada JUNE 27, 2016 Jashime Sarmiento, 7, plays at the playground behind her family's Habitat home. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/CANA-16-14365-EM.jpg Edmonton, Alberta, Canada JUNE 28, 2016 Siblings Ciera Nadeau (8, red shirt), Parnal Nadeau (6, blue shirt) and Ocean Nadeau (5, blue pants) play on the lawn in front of their family's Habitat home. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/CANA-16-15921-EM.jpg Edmonton, Alberta, Canada JUNE 30, 2016 Nasra Nahar lives in a Habitat home, with her children Hussein Weid (11), Hassan Weid (9) and Jannah Weid (4), pictured here on the family's back porch. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/INDI-15-04900-EM.jpg Kakru, Uttarakhand, India MARCH 3, 2015 Deepika Devi, 11, and her family moved into this new home as part of Habitat for Humanity's response to the devastating floods of 2014. ©Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/INDI-15-04031-EM.jpg Dakhiya, Rajasthan, India MARCH 3, 2015 Geeta Bairwa, 32, and her family worked in partnership with Habitat for Humanity to build a latrine in their compound. ©Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/JCWP-09-30068-EM.jpg Dong Xa, Vietnam NOVEMBER 14, 2009 Rice farmer Dao Van Chuc is helping his 26 year-old son Dao Van Nghia build a Habitat house in Dong Xa fishing village. They worked alongside Habitat volunteers from around the world, who came to build homes as part of the 2009 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/JCWP-09-31946-EM.jpg Hanoi, Vietnam NOVEMBER 18, 2009 Jimmy Carter visited Vietnam for the first time, during the 2009 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/CHIN-13-16942-EM.jpg Panrong, Guangxi, China AUGUST 15, 2013 Feng Jinfeng, 38, hauls stones from a river to help fill the foundation of her family's new house, which is being built with the help of a microcredit loan from Habitat for Humanity China. ©Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/GUAT-11-03849-EMa.jpg Antigua, Guatemala APRIL 24, 2011 An Easter procession passes through the streets of Antigua, in honor of Holy Week in Guatemala. A Habitat for Humanity Build Louder advocacy team was in the country building Habitat homes, meeting with local NGOs and government officials, and learning more about housing issues. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/NICA-12-23388-EM.jpg Habitat for Humanity International | ezramillstein.com View Habitat for Humanity International by ezramillstein.com. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/SALV-14-05539-EM.jpg San Salvador, El Salvador APRIL 20, 2014 Volunteer David Treleven, from Raleigh, North Carolina, was part of a volunteer team of AmeriCorps Alumni from across the US that traveled to El Salvador to help build a new Habitat for Humanity home. ©Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/NICA-12-21501-EM.jpg Masachapa, Nicaragua DECEMBER 4, 2012 66 year-old Adolfo Gutierrez has been living in this rundown shack in La Gallina for 30 years. Soon he will move into a new home, with the help of Habitat Nicaragua. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/NICA-13-30442-EM.jpg San Cayetano, Nicaragua DECEMBER 4, 2013 67 year-old Adolfo Gutierrez lived in a run-down shack in the neighborhood of La Gallina for 30 years, before moving into a Habitat home in 2013. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/NICA-12-23147-EM.jpg Masachapa, Nicaragua DECEMBER 10, 2012 A boy stands in front of his family's dilapidated shack. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/NICA-12-22248-EM.jpg Masachapa, Nicaragua DECEMBER 5, 2012 A boy watches as Habitat for Humanity volunteers help to paint his family's new Habitat home in the community of La Gallina. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/NICA-12-22485-EM.jpg Masachapa, Nicaragua DECEMBER 5, 2012 8 year-old Katia Margarita Cruz watches as a team of Habitat for Humanity volunteers help to build a new home for her family. The team spent 10 days in Nicaragua, building homes and meeting with communities, NGOs and government officials to advocate for decent housing. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/IMG_5452_1.jpg Soacha, Colombia EPTEMBER 23, 2012 Slums cover the mountainsides south of Bogotá. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HOND-09-03944-EM.jpg El Limon, Honduras MAY 12, 2009 Habitat for Humanity Honduras helped to renovate the floors of 82 year-old Catalina Ortiz's house. Most of the Chortí indigenous families of Western Honduras live in extreme poverty. Their subsistence economy keeps them from accessing credit sources, and thus from improving their houses. Their lack of resources forces them to resort to low-quality building materials, meaning that families live in substandard, overcrowded, unhealthy conditions. They are exposed to dust and extreme humidity, and the mud walls of their houses provide ideal living conditions for chinche picuda bugs, which cause Chagas Disease. Habitat for Humanity Honduras is helping to replace the Chorti’s thatched roofs with metal sheeting, to renovate and plaster crumbling walls, and to install concrete floors. With the financial support of the Gaston County Habitat affiliate in North Carolina, 113 houses have been improved, and eight new houses have been built in the villages of Carrizalón, Agua Caliente, Otuta and La Pintada. 847 people have benefited from these projects. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/SALV-10-25356-EM.jpg El Progreso, El Salvador OCTOBER 11, 2010 4 year-old Franklin Rojo stands in his family's smokey kitchen. Habitat for Humanity volunteers helped to build a new kitchen with better air circulation, which will improve thie respiratory health. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HOND-09-03735-EM.jpg Otuta, Honduras MAY 12, 2009 Moreira Dunia inside her mother's house. The floor and roof were renovated with assistance from Habitat for Humanity Honduras. Most of the Chortí indigenous families of Western Honduras live in extreme poverty. Their subsistence economy keeps them from accessing credit sources, and thus from improving their houses. Their lack of resources forces them to resort to low-quality building materials, meaning that families live in substandard, overcrowded, unhealthy conditions. They are exposed to dust and extreme humidity, and the mud walls of their houses provide ideal living conditions for chinche picuda bugs, which cause Chagas Disease. Habitat for Humanity Honduras is helping to replace the Chorti’s thatched roofs with metal sheeting, to renovate and plaster crumbling walls, and to install concrete floors. With the financial support of the Gaston County Habitat affiliate in North Carolina, 113 houses have been improved, and eight new houses have been built in the villages of Carrizalón, Agua Caliente, Otuta and La Pintada. 847 people have benefited from these projects. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/BRAZ-07-17623-EM.jpg Goiania, Brazil DECEMBER 2, 2007 Children walk through the dangerous Favela dos Trihos. Habitat for Humanity Brazil works in more than 21 cities in eight Brazilian states: Ceará, Goiás, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul and Tocantins, assisting more than 3,000 families. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/BRAZ-07-17290-EM.jpg Varjada, Brazil NOVEMBER 29, 2007 Valdenice de Oliveira sits on the porch of her Habitat home with her seven year-old son Vandeildo. Before Habitat started building concrete houses here in 2006, most homes were made of dried mud, which not only required constant patching and reshaping but also served as a breeding ground for a type of beetle that poses a serious health threat to humans. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/SALV-09-07661-EM.jpg San Vicente, El Salvador MAY 21, 2009 Four year-old Racquel Aparenga plays on a swing in front of her family's Habitat home in the Brisas del Sur community. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/SALV-09-04722-EM-retouch.jpg Santa Ana, El Salvador MAY 20, 2009 Eight month-old Felipe Salazar lives with his parents Jose (pictured) and Aida, in a home in the Charlotte Model Community, which Habitat for Humanity El Salvador started developing in June 2007. The community, which was named to honor Habitat El Salvador's primary affiliate partner in the project, will provide land, housing, basic infrastructure (water, electricity, and sewage treatment), streets with sidewalks, green areas, a daycare and community center to 60 low-income, landless families. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/SALV-09-07604-EM.jpg San Vicente, El Savador MAY 21, 2009 59 year-old Nadia Alfaro lives with her family in a Habitat home in the Brisas del Sur community. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/SALV-09-04247-EM.jpg San Salvador, El Salvador MAY 19, 2009 Elmer Sanchez (right) and his son William (left) inside their family's shack, in the rundown squatter community of Las Victorias on the outskirts of the capital. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/SALV-10-25816-EM.jpg El Progreso, El Salvador OCTOBER 11, 2010 One year-old Catherine Mellssa Vasquez plans on the floor near the door of her family's small home. Habitat volunteers helped to renovate the kitchen, inproving ventilation and ensuring better respiratory health for Catherine and her family. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HOND-09-03286-EM.jpg La Pintada, Honduras MAY 11, 2009 A young boy stands inside his family's dilapidated house. Most of the Chortí indigenous families of Western Honduras live in extreme poverty. Their subsistence economy keeps them from accessing credit sources, and thus from improving their houses. Their lack of resources forces them to resort to low-quality building materials, meaning that families live in substandard, overcrowded, unhealthy conditions. They are exposed to dust and extreme humidity, and the mud walls of their houses provide ideal living conditions for chinche picuda bugs, which cause Chagas Disease. Habitat for Humanity Honduras is helping to replace the Chorti’s thatched roofs with metal sheeting, to renovate and plaster crumbling walls, and to install concrete floors. With the financial support of the Gaston County Habitat affiliate in North Carolina, 113 houses have been improved, and eight new houses have been built in the villages of Carrizalón, Agua Caliente, Otuta and La Pintada. 847 people have benefited from these projects. ©Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/JCWP-09-30106-EM.jpg Dong Xa, Vietnam NOVEMBER 14, 2009 Wheelbarrows are lined up and ready for use in the 2009 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/DOMI-07-03878-EM.jpg Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic AUGUST 29. 2007 A young girl in front of her home in the La Lata neighborhood, on the banks of the Ozama River in Santo Domingo. The area contains more than 200 squatter houses with as many as ten people in each house. Homes are cobbled together with rusted pieces of metal, and have no plumbing. Raw sewage runs through the streets, and the neighborhood frequently floods when the river rises. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/DOMI-07-01669-EM.jpg Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic AUGUST 25, 2007 A girl sleeps in a doorway in the Zona Colonial of Santo Domingo. © Habitat for Humanity International https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/BULG-08-13692-EM.jpg Stara Zagora, Bulgaria OCTOBER 16, 2008 Two infants sleep in a dilapidated home in a Roma community. Habitat for Humanity Bulgaria provides loans to families in the area, enabling them to rehabilitate their apartments. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/SLOV-08-10626-EM.jpg Hodejov, Slovakia OCTOBER 3, 2008 Six year-old Dezika Rac stands next to his father Pater. Their home is in a Roma community in Hodejov; it is being rehabilitated thanks to a loan from Habitat for Humanity Slovakia. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra MIllstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/PHIL-09-16019-EM.jpg Manila, Philippines NOVEMBER 1, 2009 A young boy digs through sewage-filled water, searching for anything salvagable, on the Pasig River in the Paco Market neighborhood of Manila, one of the city's worst slums. The neighborhood was hit particularly hard by the slew of typhoons. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/PHIL-09-16271-EM.jpg Muntinlupa City, Philippines NOVEMBER 3, 2009 Melissa Lancanan screams for attention, as she lies in the floor of the Muntinlupa elementary school, where 357 displaced families live after typhoons destroyed their homes. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/PHIL-09-16233-EM.jpg Muntinlupa City, Philippines NOVEMBER 3, 2009 Angelica Martinez peers through the sheets that separate her family from the neighbors at the Muntinlupa elementary school, where 357 displaced families live after typhoons destroyed their homes. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/PHIL-09-15434-EM.jpg Calauan, Philippines OCTOBER 31, 2009 A boy wades through floodwater next to his house, as Typhoon Mirinae batters the Philippines. Mirinae was the fourth storm to strike the country in a month. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://ezramillstein.com/habitat-for-humanity---usa monthly 0.8 https://ezramillstein.com/nepal-earthquake monthly 0.8 https://ezramillstein.com/haiti-earthquake monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-04226-EM.jpg Cabaret, Haiti FEBRUARY 5, 2010 Eight year-old Jeff Cybaptiste stands in front of his family's Habitat house, which withstood the earthquake of January 12th. It is one of 183 Habitat homes in the area, which were the closest Habitat houses to the epicenter of the earthquake. Initial reports indicate that only eight of these homes sustained damage; by comparison, it is estimated that 8,000 non-Habitat homes were destroyed in the surrounding areas. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-04890-EM.jpg Port-au-Prince, Haiti FEBRUARY 6, 2010 Three weeks after the January 12th earthquake, the streets of downtown Port-au-Prince are still strewn with debris. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-04682-EM.jpg Port-au-Prince, Haiti FENRUARY 6, 2010 A young girl watches as a dead body is covered with a sheet, after being discovered decomposing in a pile of rubble three weeks after the January 12th earthquake. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-07101-EM.jpg Port-au-Prince, Haiti FEBRUARY 15, 2010 A man collects broken pieces of the pews in Haiti's National Cathedral, to use for firewood. The building was destroyed by the January 12th earthquake. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-15162-EM.jpg Léogâne, Haiti JUNE 22, 2010 35 year-old Rose Flore Charles holds her 2 year-old daughter, Guallina Delva. After the earthquake destroyed their family's home, they have been living in a makeshift shelter in Leogane that Rose cobbled together out of scraps. They are moving into a Habitat for Humanity transitional shelter this week. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-05036-EM.jpg Port-au-Prince, Haiti FEBRUARY 6, 2010 A man burns body parts among the ruins of a collapsed building, three weeks after the January 12th earthquake. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-04575-EM.jpg Port-au-Prince, Haiti FEBRUARY 6, 2010 Jean Charles Sejour searches the rubble of Haiti's Social Security office for the remains of his coworkers. He was inside when the catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck on January 12th, but ran for the door and managed to escape before the building collapsed. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-06818-EM.jpg Pétionville, Haiti FEBRUARY 12, 2010 A woman participates in a prayer vigil in the center of a tent city in Place St. Pierre, marking one month since the devastating earthquake of January 12th. The Haitian government declared February 12th-15th as days of prayer and fasting, as Haitians remember loved ones who were lost during the disaster. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-06362-EM.jpg Pétionville, Haiti FEBRUARY 12, 2010 A woman participates in a prayer vigil in the center of a tent city in Place St. Pierre, marking one month since the devastating earthquake of January 12th. The Haitian government declared February 12th-15th as days of prayer and fasting, as Haitians remember loved ones who were lost during the disaster. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-27630-EM.jpg Port-au-Prince, Haiti NOVEMBER 11, 2010 Samdi Ednan lives in Cité Soleil, an extremely impoverished and densely populated area of Port-au-Prince. Habitat for Humanity is reaching out to his community, in order to help improve housing. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-16165-EM.jpg Cap-Haïtien, Haiti JUNE 25, 2010 Puchina Valcin, 5, is the daughter of Annette Charles. Annette, 34, sought refuge in Cap-Haitien after her home in Port-au-Prince was destroyed by the January 12th earthquake. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-04931-EM.jpg Port-au-Prince, Haiti FEBRUARY 6, 2010 The sun sets behind a collapsed building, three weeks after the devastating earthquake struck Haiti. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-05703-EM.jpg Delmas, Haiti FEBRUARY 7, 2010 A man digs through the ruins of his destroyed house, on a steep hillside near Port-au-Prince. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-06029-EM.jpg Carrefour, Haiti FEBRUARY 9, 2010 Five year-old Jonas Joseph, his eight year-old sister Marie and 12 year-old brother Jeff are silhouetted against the wall of their family's makeshift shelter, in the midst of a tent city that serves as a temporary home for 350 families. The earthquake caused heavy damage to residential buildings in Carrefour; an estimated 80-90% of the buildings were destroyed. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-04857-EM.jpg Port-au-Prince, Haiti FEBRUARY 6, 2010 PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (2/6/10)-Seven year-old Wesley Paul stands in front of a collapsed building in Port-au-Prince. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-15664-EM.jpg Gonaives, Haiti MAY 24, 2010 Henry Mackolene is a neighbor and friend of Francesa Saint-Hubert. Francesa, 6, is Sabine Lorema's niece. They live together, along with five other people, in a rental home in Gonaives. Sabine used to live in the Christ-Roi neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. Her husband, a bus driver, was killed during the January 12th earthquake when a public utility company building collapsed on top of his bus, while he was parked waiting to pick up riders. Sabine is applying to partner with Habitat to build a core house. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-05817-EM.jpg Carrefour, Haiti FEBRUARY 9, 2010 Two month-old Cherize Streama sleeps soundly in the middle of a raucous tent city of 350 families. Her clavicle was fractured during the January 12th earthquake, which caused heavy damage to residential buildings in Carrefour; an estimated 80-90% of the buildings were destroyed. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-05875-EM.jpg Carrefour, Haiti FEBRUARY 9, 2010 Marie Pierre looks through the door of her makeshift shelter, in a crowded tent city of 350 families. Her right hand and leg were broken during the January 12th earthquake, which caused heavy damage to residential buildings in Carrefour; an estimated 80-90% of the buildings were destroyed. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-15937-EM.jpg Gonaives, Haiti MAY 24, 2010 Rain pours from the roof of a Habitat for Humanity transitional shelter. Habitat is building hundreds of these shelters in several Haitian cities; they last approximately two years. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-05167-EM.jpg Léogâne, Haiti FEBRUARY 7, 2010 Women wait in line for Habitat for Humanity bucket shelter kits, which were assembled by volunteers in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. 462 women received the kits, which contained a crowbar, a rope, a tarp, nails, a trowel, a handsaw, a hammer and work gloves. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-05122-EM.jpg Léogâne, Haiti FEBRUARY 7, 2010 Women wait in line for Habitat for Humanity bucket shelter kits, which were assembled by volunteers in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. 462 women received the kits, which contained a crowbar, a rope, a tarp, nails, a trowel, a handsaw, a hammer and work gloves. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-04286-EM.jpg Cabaret, Haiti FEBRUARY 5, 2010 Twelve year-old Tediphus Joseph's Habitat house withstood the earthquake of January 12th. It is one of 183 Habitat homes in the area, which were the closest Habitat houses to the epicenter of the earthquake. Initial reports indicate that only eight of these homes sustained damage; by comparison, it is estimated that 8,000 non-Habitat homes were destroyed in the surrounding areas. Nonetheless, Tediphus and his siblings now sleep in a tent in front of their home, because they are scared that another earthquake will come and "shake the house." © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/HAIT-10-05447-EM.jpg Léogâne, Haiti FEBRUARY 7, 2010 A young brother and sister sit inside their family's makeshift shelter. Léogâne was among the worst affected towns by the January 12th earthquake, with an estimated 80% to 90% of buildings damaged and no remaining government infrastructure. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/JCWP-11-16952-EM.jpg Léogâne, Haiti NOVEMBER 6, 2011 Former President Jimmy Carter inspects one of the new homes built on the site of the 2011 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. © Habitat for Humanity International/Ezra Millstein https://ezramillstein.com/landscapes monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/Untitled1.jpg Petra, Jordan AUGUST 10, 2016 Red rock canyons and starry skies over Petra. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/Petra-3_1.jpg Petra, Jordan AUGUST 10, 2016 Al Khazneh, or the Treasury, was carved out of a sandstone rock face. It is one of the most elaborate temples in Petra, and is otherworldly at night. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/IMG_8891.jpg Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates MARCH 8, 2015 Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was constructed between 1996 to 2007. It is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates, covering an area of more than 12 hectares (30 acres). As the country's grand mosque, it is the key place of worship for Friday gathering and Eid prayers. It can hold more than 40,000 people. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/Riomaggiore_Panorama1_4_copy.jpg Riomaggiore, Italy JULY 28, 2014 Riomaggiore, one of the five towns of the Cinque Terre area of Italy. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/DT3V0172_1.jpg Manarola, Italy JULY 27, 2014 Manarola, one of the five towns of the Cinque Terre area of Italy. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/DT3V9682.jpg Calanque d'En Vau, France JULY 23, 2014 Calanque d'En Vau is part of the Massif des Calanques in the Bouches-du-Rhône département of France. This range extends for 20 km along the coast between Marseille and Cassis. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/DT3V9534.jpg Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain JULY 2014 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/IMG_9675.jpg Chaminuka Reserve, Lusaka, Zambia AUGUST 2, 2014 Zebras run next to the Chaminuka River. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/EzraMillstein_Bantayan.jpg Bantayan Island, Philippines FEBRUARY 22, 2015 A solitary starfish crosses a sand dune in the purple waters off Bantayan Island. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/DT3V9466.jpg San Francisco, California JUNE 28, 2014 Traffic flows over the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco provides families with a springboard to secure, stable futures through affordable homeownership, financial literacy and neighborhood revitalization. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/IMG_2632.jpg Olympic National Park, Washington State MAY 26, 2013 A storm at Rialto Beach. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebf25d986/images/IMG_0012.jpg Olympic National Park, Washington State MAY 26, 2013 A storm at Rialto Beach. https://ezramillstein.com/publications monthly 0.8