NGO Photography

In Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Aljou Diallo, a young Fulani boy, wraps a turban around his head in traditional nomadic fashion. The turban protects from the harsh dust and wind of the Harmattan season.

A contingent of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) marches with mosquito nets in hand to demonstrate to the public that, "We defended our country, now we will protect our families from malaria." The "Celebrating Today's Conquerors, Nurturing Tomorrow's Heroes" campaign was implemented by the US-based non-profit organization, Population Services International, in partnership with the South Sudan Ministry of Health. Malaria kills up to 40,000 people every year in South Sudan. It is the leading cause of death of children under five. Sadly, it is also easily prevented simply by sleeping under an insecticide-treated mosquito net every night.

A group of Dinka gather around a cow, proudly showing me its specially-shaped horns. The Dinka are traditionally cattle herders, owning hundreds or thousands of cows per family. Dowries (payment by a man's family for marriage to a girl) are also paid in cows, with a beautiful girl garnering a bride price of hundreds of cows.

A woman in Djibo, Burkina Faso rolls a spatula between her hands to cook millet "pot," similar to the Italian polenta. Without a stove or electricity, women throughout West Africa cook outside on an open fire.

In the village market of Bourro in northern Burkina Faso, a Fulani woman carries her son on her back in traditional African fashion. The Fulani are traditionally nomadic pastoralists, crisscrossing the Sahel season after season in search of fresh water and green pastures for their cattle and other livestock.

Dressed in her brightest, finest clothing, made-up, and wearing the hallmark silver coin jewelry of the Fulani of Niger, 9-year old Dicko readies herself to walk the five or so miles from her village in southwestern Niger to the town of Torodi. In Torodi, she will sell the fruit of the karey tree that she worked so hard to gather the past week.

In the town of Djibo in northern Burkina Faso, young "doohoobe" (people who sing "doohaali") dance in traditional fashion. The men and women each form a line facing each other, rhythmically shuffling towards and then away from each other. The women clap their hands and sing as the men "dooho," or sing a distinct, deep rhythmic chant. The man in the purple turban plays a calabash (a form of drum), as the other men hold "cabbi," sticks which are used when herding cattle. "Doohaali" is a distinct form of music practiced only by the Fulani in Djelgooji, a particular area of Burkina Faso. The young men in this image are the winners of a regional music and arts competition, going on to perform at Burkina Faso's 2010 "Semaine Nationale de la Culture" (SNC) in Bobo-Dioulasso. The women clapping at left are members of the community who have joined in the nighttime fun.

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: July 6, 2007. A group of young Fulani women and children in eagerly crowd into the house for a photo. One of them dashes back outside, only to reappear moments later with a radio, which she proudly displays on her lap for all the world to see.

In the seasonal Fulani village of Bantagiri in northern Burkina Faso, reflections of light from the sequins of a young woman's shawl dance across her face. The Fulani are traditionally nomadic pastoralists, crisscrossing the Sahel season after season in search of fresh water and green pastures for their cattle and other livestock.

A shop in the Gyadi-Gyadi area of Kano, Nigeria prominently displays a Waterguard advertisement on the door. Waterguard, a chlorine product that makes water safe to drink, protects against diarrheal diseases that are life-threatening to children under five.

A young Fulani girl drinks "kunu" from a plastic bag, while manning fruit and vegetable table at a roadside market in Nigeria's Niger State. Kunu is a delicious millet drink spiced with ginger.

Fishing villages co-mingled with tall palm trees line the beach between Benin's capital of Cotonou and the historic town of Ouidah. Women walk along the dirt road that connects Cotonou and Ouidah, carrying food and belongings on their heads.

A woman in the village of Diagourou near Tera, Niger wears the traditional silver jewelry of the Fulani people.

Children in Abuja, Nigeria hold Permanet long-lasting insecticide treated mosquito nets. Permanet is manufactured by Vestergaard-Frandsen and distributed in Nigeria by the Society for Family Health (SFH), Nigeria's largest indigenous NGO.

In the town of Djibo in northern Burkina Faso, a Fulani child is sick with malaria. After a visit to the local military health center, the child's father, Dicko Ousmana, feeds his son artesunate and amodiaquine, an artemisin-combination therapy for malaria treatment. While easily prevented by sleeping under an insecticide-treated mosquito net every night, throughout Africa, malaria is a major killer of pregnant women and children under five.

Children play in the ruins of crashed planes, on the side of the main road through Rumbek, South Sudan. After generations of civil war, the evidence of the war will remain for years to come - landmines and unexploded ordnance, old (un-operational) tanks, and crashed planes and fighter aircraft remind us of the difficult years. In 2005, Rumbek served as the interim capital of South Sudan, until North Sudanese troops had sufficiently departed the formerly occupied capital of Juba. Despite it's recent status as capital of South Sudan, Rumbek is not much more than a village with one main dirt road running through town, an international airstrip that is yet unpaved and where small, 10-30-seater planes land, and no public electricity, running water, or telephone lines.

Every Dinka male is a warrior. At Freedom Square in Rumbek, South Sudan, young men group together at an annual gathering to select a new song for their warrior "age-set."

A young Dinka man in a cattle camp keeps his AK-47 close. This photo illustrates the commonality of weaponry, even in remote cattle camps like this one. South Sudan has endured generations of civil war - a Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of Sudan in Khartoum and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement was signed only in January 2005. Despite the peace agreement, ordinary people - men, women, and children - carrying their AK-47s in the market or on main roads is a common sight. Given this context, gunfights in bars - or even between families during civil disputes - are also "normal." Particularly in ethnic Dinka areas, where Dinka sub-tribes traditionally clash, carrying an AK-47 or other firearm is simply a means of protection.

Supported by the international NGO, Population Services International (PSI), a women's group in Rumbek, South Sudan parades on Africa Malaria Day 2006 to raise awareness about malaria prevention. The women sport shirts stating, "Malaria is transmitted only through the bite of an infected mosquito."

Mother and children sit under a mosquito net in Kano, Nigeria. Distributed by Nigeria's largest indigenous NGO, the Society for Family Health, long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets prevent the deadly disease, malaria.

In the town of Djibo in northern Burkina Faso, a young Fulani woman peers into a house at night. Behind her, a straw hangar provides shade during the daytime.

The white marks on the face of a Dinka boy in a cattle camp in South Sudan are the telltale signs of cow dung ash, which is used as a cosmetic and insect repellent.

Awoman sells straw mats at the weekly market in Djibo in northern Burkina Faso.

In the seasonal village of Bantagiri in northern Burkina Faso, a group of Fulani children run towards the camera. The Fulani are traditionally nomadic pastoralists, crisscrossing the Sahel season after season in search of fresh water and green pastures for their cattle and other livestock.

Young men from the village lead donkeys pulling carts of cooking ingredients, like baobab leaves, okra, and hibiscus, on the long road to Niamey. They will travel day and night 60 kilometers to the capital on a one-way, one-week journey. Between Torodi and Niamey, Niger.

This Fulani woman has walked to Torodi from a village ten miles away to attend the weekly market. She wears her brightest newest clothing to show off on market day, together with her bead chokers and beaded earrings. Her jewelry is handmade and can take days to make. Women from the villages typically bring a variety of produce (such as milk and fruit) and handmade goods (such as grass mats, woven calabash covers, and traditional soap) to sell at the market. They will return home with cooking ingredients and sometimes cloth.

Young women in Abuja, Nigeria paint their hands with henna.

Fishing villages co-mingled with tall palm trees line the beach between Benin's capital of Cotonou and the historic town of Ouidah. This dirt road along the beach that connects Cotonou and Ouidah is a pleasant and interesting drive.

Ramshackle houses line the coast of Benin near Cotonou. Living next to the ocean, boats become a common means of transportation.

Photo of a "bush taxi" on the two-lane, international highway from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso to Niamey, Niger. The taxi will stop anytime on the side of the road to let passengers on and collect new ones. The 17-seater vehicle can be stuffed with up to 26 people.

Ganvie, Benin, with some 3,000 stilted buildings and a population of 20,000-30,000 people, may be the largest "lake vllage" in Africa. In Ganvie, the population lives exclusively from fishing, building houses on stilts in and next to Lake Nokoue. Because the Dan-Homey religion prohibited attacks on communities living in the water, the village of Ganvie dates back to the 16th or 17th century, when it was built to protect people from slavery.

As night falls over the town of Djibo in northern Burkina Faso, a woman straps her child to her back.

In Muslim West Africa, during the days leading up to Tabaski (Eid-Al-Adha), the griots work grows. Visiting families throughout the town, griots recite family histories through poetry, song, and music, refusing to leave the compound until the family pays them for their troubles. Here, two griots, one playing a traditional guitar, call on a Fulani family in Djibo in northern Burkina Faso. The third man in green - their assistant - is responsible for keeping an eye on the area and letting the griots know when a family member returns after a long absence.

At the weekly cattle market in the town of Djibo in northern Burkina Faso, Fulani herders negotiate the purchase and sale of livestock. The Fulani are traditionally nomadic pastoralists, crisscrossing the Sahel season after season in search of fresh water and green pastures for their cattle and other livestock.

A Fulani woman breastfeeds her child in the weekly market of Djibo in northern Burkina Faso.

Dressed in her finest clothing, Dicko Hadjiratou, age 14, browses the weekly Fulani market in the town of Djibo in northern Burkina Faso.

In the seasonal village of Bantagiri in northern Burkina Faso, a Fulani woman cooks breakfast outdoors on the fire. The Fulani are traditionally nomadic pastoralists, crisscrossing the Sahel season after season in search of fresh water and green pastures for their cattle and other livestock.

In the town of Djibo in northern Burkina Faso, a Fulani child is sick with malaria. After a visit to the local military health center, the child's father, Dicko Ousmana, feeds his son artesunate and amodiaquine, an artemisin-combination therapy for malaria treatment. While easily prevented by sleeping under an insecticide-treated mosquito net every night, throughout Africa, malaria is a major killer of pregnant women and children under five.