Kikimba, Kirumba, Democratic Republic of Congo

Prince Mumbere welds iron rods to a metal door in Kikimba, Kirumba, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kamwokya, Kampala District, Uganda

Josephine Nakafeero, a creative designer, paints a tire to make a chair in Kamwokya, Kampala District, Uganda. Nakafeero advocates for the environment by making eco-friendly, sustainable products and upcycling tires into decorations such as pouf seats and wall planters.

Kodikamam, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Sinnathamby Sinnapillai, left, and Paramanandar Vallikodi weave coconut leaves to fence their house in Kodikamam, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. In rural areas, where cement walls are hard to find, residents will often replace their coconut leaf fences twice a year.

Busiro, Wakiso district, Uganda

Tebusweke Julius makes a clay flowerpot at the Kawato Clay Factory in Busiro, Wakiso district, Uganda. Because of a construction boom, clay flowerpots and vases for both outdoor and indoor decoration are in high demand.

Murun, Khuvsgul Province, Mongolia

Battulga Ulziisaikhan paints a cement lion cast with bronze in Murun, Khuvsgul province, Mongolia. Battulga resigned as a history and social science teacher last year when he inherited a small farm from his elderly in-laws.

Goma, DRC

Philippe Kamosi, a volunteer, hammers nails to help build houses in Munigi for residents who lost their homes when a volcano erupted in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. The volcano, which erupted in Kibati on May 22, displaced 400,000 people.

Bayandalai, Umnugovi, Mongolia

Batbayar Yondon, a herder, paints his ger, or yurt, in the countryside north of Bayandalai, Umnugovi province, Mongolia. Mongolian gers are designed to be lightweight and durable, which makes them suitable for a nomadic lifestyle.

San Francisco, Mexico

Uriel Rodríguez builds a palapa, a traditional palm-thatched shelter, in San Francisco, Nayarit, Mexico. Rodríguez says he and his neighbors learned the skills by helping each other build their homes.

Battsengel, Mongolia

Agvaansambuu Byambadorj helps his family assemble their ger, a portable circular dwelling, at their summer camp in Battsengel, Arkhangai province, Mongolia. Nomadic Mongolians move each season, and the ger can be easily disassembled and rebuilt.

Kampala, Uganda

Kasibante Eldad plasters the exterior of a new home in the Kawempe division of Kampala, Uganda. Affordable housing is in demand as people move from rural areas to the capital city in search of better living conditions.

James Kakuru spreads mud over wattle to construct a home in Kyarenga, a village in Uganda’s Isingiro district.

Harare, Zimbabwe

Bernard Nyatsuro fetches water from a borehole in Southlea Park, a neighborhood in Harare, Zimbabwe. He says he travels to the borehole daily because the area he lives in does not have a regular water supply. Nyatsuro says he’s scared of catching the coronavirus but has no option since he requires water.

Orkhon Province, Mongolia

From left, Narantsogt Gombosuren, Enkhmanlai Erdenebat and Bat-Erdene Narantsogt build a ger, or Mongolian yurt, at the Gombosuren family’s summer camp in Orkhon district, in northern Mongolia’s Bulgan province. Herder families lead nomadic lives in the countryside as they herd cattle to different seasonal camps throughout the year.

Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo

Francine Kapinga washes dishes outside her home in Makiso, a commune in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo

Mireille Busombolo, a 29-year-old housewife, cooks at her home in Kabondo, a commune in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo. She wears a mask, even inside her own home, to protect against the spread of the coronavirus.

Karamoja, Uganda

Peter Longmolo (left) and John Loiki sit together dressed in some of the typical fashions of the Karamoja region in northern Uganda. The walking stick Longmolo holds has a Ugandan kob antelope carved on the top, and both men wear black feathered hats. They say it’s part of their “swag,” or style.

Lusaka, Zambia

Rhoda Zulu (from left), Edna Zambo and Ruth Zulu sell vegetables on the roadside outside Soweto Market in Lusaka, Zambia. Although street vending is banned, traders still take the risk, saying that renting a stall in the official market is too expensive and that business there is slow.

Kenscoff, Haiti

Since sales are slow, Guerline Fritz, a vegetable vendor at this market in Kenscoff, Haiti, takes a quick nap as she waits for customers to buy her produce. She says that protests and fuel shortages in the country have deterred customers from coming out to buy lately.

Kampala, Uganda

In an attempt to hide their goods from police and city officials, vendors throw merchandise into the Nakivubo River in Kampala, Uganda. Since street vending is illegal here, shopkeepers say it’s the only way to save their businesses from being confiscated.

Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

Kathiramalai Vellaiyamma weeds grass and plucks vegetables in her small home garden in Vavuniya, a city in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province. She makes her living selling the produce after returning from a refugee camp in India, where she fled during Sri Lanka’s civil war.

San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Mexico

For the last 14 years, Oralia de la Cruz Domínguez, 35, pictured with her daughter Brenda, 1, has cultivated and sold plants in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico. Her stock includes interior and shade plants, and she also takes client requests to cultivate fruit and coffee plants.

Kotido District, Karamoja, Uganda

Lokutu Longora carries a goat to sell at a market in Kotido district of Karamoja region. Bridal customs here often involve giving goats or sheep, which are considered forms of wealth, as part of a bride’s dowry. But if the husband passes away, that can put those assets in danger. Longora inherited his brother’s widow in 2017 through the practice of widow inheritance, which involves giving a widow to the deceased man’s relative to marry. In Uganda’s rural Karamoja region, the practice is sometimes viewed as a way to care for women who have lost their husbands. But it’s also a way to protect a family’s land and wealth.

Surkhet District, Nepal

Laxmi Buda cleans outside her home in Matela, a village in the Surkhet District of Nepal. Buda uses red clay found abundantly in this area to keep her house looking its best.

Adampan, Mannar, Sri Lanka

Karuppaiya Suthakaran (from left), Velayutham Nathan and Varnasooriya Casoon mix cement to use as the foundation of a new home in Adampan, Mannar, Sri Lanka.