“In a war, the normal codes of civilized behavior are suspended. It would be unthinkable in so called normal life, to go into someone’s home, where the family is grieving over the death of a loved one, and spend long moments photographing them. It simply wouldn’t be done.”

The Municipal Dump in Phnom Penh was the scene of abject poverty and hardship. It closed its gates in 2009 but is this the end of the story, what has happened to the people who worked as scavengers on the dump. The new dump has been moved several miles outside of the city and NO scavenging is to be allowed.

Julien Harneis’ photos from the Democratic Republic of the Congo tell us a story of hardship and hope. He is in Eastern DRC, near the Rwandan border, as UNICEF Chief of Field Operations working to alieve the problems of displaced populations, including child soldiers, sexual violence, poor education, unclean drinking water, and health and sanitation issues.