Nurith Aizenman

A vendor in a market in Nigeria counts local bills. The country is one of dozens whose devalued currency is fueling a debt crisis. Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Sixth graders from Habu Primary School in Botswana on a safari. The trip is the high point of a multi-pronged effort by the nonprofit Wild Entrust to resolve a chronic conflict between rural villagers and the wild animals that destroy their crops. Nurith Aizenman/NPR hide caption

Even a straightforward cataract surgery may be impossible in many places. These patients underwent surgery as part of a campaign run by Himalayan Cataract Project at the Bisidimo Hospital in Ethiopia. Surgeons performed more than 1,600 cataract surgeries during a six-day event. Jason Beaubien/NPR hide caption

Munyaradzi Musvosvi, a researcher who works for the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative, in a storage facility at the University of Cape Town that holds in deep freeze the blood samples of people exposed to TB. He's part of a team working to develop a potential mRNA vaccine by looking at the immune cells in the blood samples. Tommy Trenchard for NPR hide caption

A farmer checks wheat ripeness on a field in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 21, 2022. Russian hostilities in Ukraine are preventing grain from leaving the "breadbasket of the world" and making food more expensive across the globe, threatening to worsen shortages, hunger and political instability in developing countries. Efrem Lukatsky/AP hide caption

Yeshnee Naidoo prepares a "flow cell" for analysis by one of the center's many genetic sequencing machines. Tommy Trenchard for NPR hide caption

Gerhardt Boukes, chief scientist at Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines, formulates mRNA for use in a new vaccine against COVID-19. The company — based in Cape Town, South Africa — is the linchpin of a global project to enable low- and middle-income countries to make mRNA vaccines against all manner of diseases. Tommy Trenchard for NPR hide caption

Dr. Gabriela Kucharski is the secretary of health for Toledo, a city in southwestern Brazil. Amid the worst of the pandemic, she convinced Pfizer to choose Toledo for an experiment that would provide free COVID vaccines for every resident. Ian Cheibub for NPR hide caption

the Imvanex vaccine, used against monkeypox and often referred to as JYNNEOS, is manufactured by only one company: Denmark-based Bavarian Nordic. Global supplies are limited. Africa, where the current outbreak began, is shut out. Alain Jocard/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Patricia Neves (left) and Ana Paula Ano Bom helped launch a global project to revolutionize access to mRNA technology. Ian Cheibub for NPR hide caption

Brazilian scientist Sotiris Missailidis heads research and development at his country's premier agency for vaccine development, the Bio-Manguinhos Fiocruz Foundation. He's been a key advocate for shifting Brazil's strategy toward inventing its own vaccines. Ian Cheibub for NPR hide caption

Patricia Neves (left) and Ana Paula Ano Bom take a break at the institute in Rio de Janeiro where they work. The two scientists say they've been inseparable since they met in college. Now their friendship has made it possible to launch a remarkable partnership to make mRNA vaccines accessible to the world. Ian Cheibub for NPR hide caption

Romie Perez and Elia Zamarripa at Perez's house. The two are among the many holding impromptu cookouts to make meals for the families of the victims. Nurith Aizenman/NPR hide caption