Mexico City, Mexico

Abraham Mujica Barrera, a musician, volunteers to cut wood during construction of a public composter at an apartment complex in Mexico City. The project was developed by a community cultural collective that seeks to promote ecological awareness and enhance public spaces. “I believe it’s necessary to begin concerning ourselves more with these issues that involve us all,” Mujica Barrera says. “And the sooner we start to do it the better.”

San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico

Elías Darinel Vázquez Ballinas reaches for a sunflower at a park in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. Vázquez is a member of Plan Bioma, an organization that works with children and teenagers to plant gardens and grow food in the neighborhood.

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Ranjithraj Nishakaran advertises the magazine Siriththiran with a promotion team in Chavakachcheri, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The magazine, which was relaunched in January 2021, was founded in 1963 and circulated for 32 years before its offices were burned down during the Sri Lankan Civil War.

Guerrero, Mexico

Delfina Álvarez Moreno, center, a delegate from the Reforma neighborhood in Tlapa de Comonfort participates in a pre-Hispanic ritual in San Miguel el Progreso, Malinaltepec, Guerrero, Mexico. Community leaders surround Álvarez at the event, titled “Women Community Leaders in the Exercising of Our Rights.”

Port-au-Prince, Haiti

From left, Oldia Louis, Jovany Gerard and Petherson Fleurant, members of the Haitian National Theater dance group, perform during the inauguration of a cultural center in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Gerard says that choreography and performances can motivate young people to participate in cultural activities.

Mexico City, Mexico

Personnel from the Ministry of National Defense raise the flag at Constitution Plaza in Mexico City. The ceremony has taken place every day since 1979, and more than 10 people must carry the flag, which weighs more than 200 kilograms (440 pounds).

Mayagüez, Puerto Rico

From left, Alfredo Martorell, Félix Gómez Polanco and Nelson Guardiola play cards after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in Paseo Georgina Morales, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

Erdenet, Orkhon Province, Mongolia

Turbayar Bat-Od, center, holding the microphone, performs with other members of the band Open Mic Lowc in Erdenet, Orkhon province, Mongolia. The event was organized to thank and encourage health care workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Trymore Sagwati and his colleagues fill potholes with sand and cement in Ruwa, Zimbabwe. The government has started to repair roads to reduce accidents and damage to vehicles.

Mexico City, Mexico

Furby waits by the door of a cafe attached to an animal shelter in Mexico City. Ghislaine García, who owns the shelter and cafe, says, “The pandemic impacted us in both positive and negative ways. Some events where we receive food and support were canceled, but when we opened the cat cafe in the middle of the pandemic, people really showed solidarity with us. They’ve ordered food to go, and thanks to them we’ve been able to survive.”

Mudjoga, DRC

Marguerite Tuliya carries a mattress and other supplies she received at the Mudjoga shelter in Democratic Republic of Congo. The Police Women’s Network, part of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in DRC, is supporting residents affected by the Nyiragongo volcano eruption, which occurred on May 22.

Manicaland, Zimbabwe

A single bus is flagged through the Birchenough Bridge in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. The bridge, built in 1935, is in need of repairs and must be monitored to prevent vehicles of a certain weight from crossing.

Erdenet, Orkhon Province, Mongolia

Otgonkhishig Choisuren and Bilegdemberel Battur plant flowers at Amar Central Square in Erdenet city, Orkhon province, Mongolia. Otgonkhishig, who is part of the province’s initiative to plant around 50,000 flowers, says, “I like this work very much, because I contribute to making our city scenery fresh by planting beautiful flowers of multiple colors. I do this out of happiness.”

Juana Pérez Luna holds her grandson Antonio Ramírez, 3, in Chenalhó, Chiapas, Mexico. Hers is among six families from the Tsotsil community that were forcibly displaced from their homes and lived in a camp for internally displaced people for almost two years.

Oaxaca, Mexico

From left, Susana Gómez, Alejandro García and Erasto Silva publicly request that senators pass a law to address bike safety in Oaxaca, Mexico. Rally attendees printed the names of those killed in accidents on white cloths and displayed them on bicycles to honor their memory.

San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico

Magno Morales and Oscar Bautista, members of Colectivo Chuvajetik, paint a mural to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Malena Szabo, right, holds a sign shaped like a teacher’s smock during a protest in front of a school in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Educators organized the protest to demand virtual classes and coronavirus vaccines after the death of fellow teacher Silvina Flores.

Lalitpur, Nepal

Pigeons scatter across Patan Durbar Square in Lalitpur, Nepal. The streets were empty except for patrolling police during a second lockdown in April as a result of a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Erdenet, Orkhon Province, Mongolia

Uranchimeg Oyunchimeg paints a bench in a shopping district in Erdenet city, Orkhon province, Mongolia. Uranchimeg, who manages this retail area, says, “After the [coronavirus] lockdown is over, everyone will be back to work. I believe that people who come to our shopping street at that time would cheer up and feel happy seeing the colorful, fresh street.”

Mexico City, Mexico

Margarita González rolls cannabis during a workshop about the risks and benefits of different filters and paper at Huerto Roma Verde, an outdoor community center in Mexico City, on International Cannabis Day. González says, “Since I’m a pastry chef, I want to find the perfect balance to achieve the desired effect and a high-quality flavor.”

Chilpancingo, Guerrero, Mexico

José Alonso Castro, known to his friends as Jack Ramón, performs juggling acts on Avenida Juan N. Álvarez in Chilpancingo de los Bravo, Guerrero, Mexico. Urban artists like Alonso came together on one of the city’s main streets to commemorate World Circus Day.

Chihuahua, Mexico

Martín Hernández, 8, and Alonso Prado, 10, members of the Rarámuri community, rest after dancing during a Holy Week celebration in Norogachi, Chihuahua, Mexico. Holy Week, or Semana Santa, is considered the most important festival of the year.

Guerrero, Mexico

Isidro Solano Bernardino makes control lines in the area’s ejido, or communal land, to prevent the spread of fires during this year’s fire season in the Llanos de Tepoxtepec community in Guerrero, Mexico. Solano leads the community’s unofficial fire brigade.

Aguada, Puerto Rico

Construction worker Eduardo Cabán helps restore Parroquia San Francisco Asís, the Catholic church in downtown Aguada, Puerto Rico. The church has been rebuilt multiple times since it was founded in 1692, and it’s undergoing a new restoration while church services are minimized due to the coronavirus.