This book is a call to action, a plea to your conscience. The horrors that exist in the global health community are each and everyone of our personal responsibilities. Please look into the eyes of the following portraits and ask yourself "what can I do?" This is neither a primer on tropical medicine, global health nor travel medicine. Rather, these portraits hopefully will find a spot in your heart and soul to encourage you to make a change in the world that you share with many so less fortunate. This photo journey is a description of people groups from my work as a missionary doctor and traveler through some eighty countries and over one hundred tribal groups. I have been doing photography since my teenage years; had my own darkroom; taken many professional photography courses; entered and won some photo-contests; and, even had one of my photos chosen for a magazine cover. The photography was taken by me and by consent of the person or groups. I have included a few personal stories of my work. Also, there are quotations that emphasize humanity's quest to be one wholesome tribe that strives for peace and harmony as well as statements of the global health burden. We all cry and laugh with the same voice and I pray that we can all love one another in the same manner. It is useful as you "flip" through the photo book, if you stare into the eyes of the children, the mothers and fathers and envision what their life must be like. Despite what we might witness about mass shootings and current political discourse on national and international news, by every measure from World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and other reputable resources, this is a much better world than it was 10 years ago, 50 years ago or 100 years ago. Alison Wright, National Geographic Photographer of The Year, has helped me immensely on design and editing of this book.
Thank you. Dan Wiklund MD