Isabelita Vinuya, 88, reflected in mirror, bids farewell to Perla Bulaon Balingit in the village of Mapaniqui in Pampanga. They are two of the last living "comfort women" of the Philippines. On Nov. 23, 1944, Vinuya, Balingit and some 100 other girls and women were taken to the Red House and systematically raped by the Japanese Imperial Army. Cheryl Diaz Meyer for NPR hide caption
A meeting of the table banking group at the home of a member. The photo is from 2019, when No Sex for Fish (and the village) were thriving. Julia Gunther for NPR hide caption
A road blockade set up during the Nipah virus outbreak in the southern Indian state of Kerala this month. C.K. Thanseer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images hide caption
Patrick returned to Malawi in November 2020. He and Fiona aren't certain when they can see each other again but are looking forward to their reunion and wedding. Julia Gunther for NPR hide caption
Angeline Murimirwa, executive director of the girls' education group CAMFED in Africa, at a pub in Oxford, England, in 2018. In August, CAMFED was awarded the $2.5 million 2021 Hilton Humanitarian Prize. Marc Silver/NPR hide caption
M. dances at a go-go bar. She was working as a topless dancer — and also as a sex worker — in the tourist city of Pattaya, Thailand, until the bar closed down in January. She decided to return to her hometown to look for work in a different sector. Allison Joyce for NPR hide caption
In this screen grab from video posted by BBC News Hindi, Jyoti Kumari, then 15, rides with her father during their 700-mile journey to their family's village of Sirhulli in eastern India. BBC News Hindi hide caption
Leather sandals, made by Saley, on display along with other items. Pearl Mak/NPR hide caption
Left: Xi Lu traveled to Wuhan from London in January to spend Lunar New Year with his parents, having not shared the holiday with them in over 7 years. Lin Yang, an epidemiologist at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, traveled to Wuhan to visit her parents for the Lunar New Year. And then ... they couldn't get back home because of the quarantine. Xi Lu/ Lin Yang hide caption
Farmers Anil Geela, left, and Pilli Tirupati do their version of the Kiki Challenge, dancing to Drake's song "In My Feelings." In the mud. With oxen. My Village Show Vlogs via YouTube/screenshot by NPR hide caption
A paramedic takes a blood sample from a baby for an HIV test in Larkana, Pakistan, on May 9. The government has been offering screenings in response to an HIV outbreak. Rizwan Tabassum /AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Looking for scraps of lead to sell, young people in the town of Kabwe, Zambia, dig through the toxic tailings left behind from 100 years of mining. Courtesy of Pure Earth hide caption
Man Kaur of India celebrates after competing in the 100-meter sprint in the 100+ age category at the World Masters Games in Auckland, New Zealand, in April 2017. Michael Bradley/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
First lady Rula Ghani at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. Earlier this year, she helped free more than 190 Afghan women and girls imprisoned for failing the virginity test after reproductive rights activist Farhad Javid brought it to her attention in October. Kiana Hayeri/The Washington Post/Getty Images hide caption
Laborers in the sugar cane fields of Central America are experiencing a rapid and unexplained form of kidney failure. Above: Harvesting sugar cane in Chichigalpa, Nicaragua. Jason Beaubien/NPR hide caption
Aweofeso Adebola (in white shirt) and Ifeoluwa Ayomide (in cap) pose with some of the kids in their education program in Abuja, Nigeria. Linus Unah for NPR hide caption
Chris Junior Anaekwe, right, with three volunteers. They picked up trash in their city of Onitsha, Nigeria, for World Environment Day on June 5. Chris Junior Anaekwe hide caption
Rosy does dishes — voluntarily. Getting the 2-year-old involved in chores did lead to the kitchen being flooded and dishes being broken. But now she is still eager to help. Michaeleen Doucleff/NPR hide caption
Tima Kurdi holds her necklace bearing a photograph of her nephews, Alan (left) and Ghalib Kurdi. She is the author of The Boy on the Beach: My Family's Escape from Syria and Our Hope for a New Home. Ben Stansall /AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Kennedy Odede (in blue shirt) is dancing for a good reason. The charity he and his wife started has been awarded the $2 million Hilton Humanitarian Prize. He's joined by residents of Kibera, the neighborhood in Nairobi where his nonprofit group provides educational, health and clean water services. Anwar Sadat hide caption
Cedric Habiyaremye and his mother, Agnes Mukankwaya, on a quinoa farm in Rwanda. Cedric Habiyaremye hide caption