Heartbreaking.

amazing collection, thank you

Wow those are awesome pictures. Thanks for sharing the places that I'll never get to go see. PS if I could I would take all those kids home with me. I hate they are suffering so!

Sad and brilliant

Great selection. thanks for sharing.
For more stories and photos from eastern Congo, check this site: www.condition-critical.org

Wow, breathtaking pictures. These pictures let you almost feel there expresions. Nice and most sad pictures, well DONE!

#33 -- what a story

there are no words.

I think i have no words right now.
Amazing photos.

exelentes photos (comme toujours) qui nous reflettent bien la vie de la population congolaise

Bravo, belle foto!

there are no words. number 33 lead me to tears. stunning images

I can't imagine what these people have to suffer

Wow. These are beyond words. I look through the Big Picture every time, and this has to be one of the absolute top collections in recent months.

Kudos.

So much suffering, yet you can still see the love of life in some of these people's eyes... Touching...

30 - enough said.. very sad

Everytime you buy a cellphone or support Capitalism, you are killing one of those. Have a good sleep.

Amazing photos. Breaks my heart.

I LOVE your collections. I really look forward to every news in my feedreader!

Outstanding and deeply moving pictures and stories. #33 is overwhelming!

this is some great stuff to see. and we all are sitting here in America worried about paying off our mortgages and our value of shares when there is much worse stuff happening all over the world. the main stream media will never hear of this situation and yet, anybody in this country has it worse off than anybody in America. Makes me sad. I wish i could adopt the kid from #33. What a story!

Where do they keep getting the guns from? That's what I'd like to know.

just utterly devastating. thank you for bringing this home.

God, help us to help that people. Too much suffering.

This is amazing...maybe the pic of the malnurished baby should have a little warning like you somtimes have...but wow these pictures are amazing.

So heartbreaking, yet stunning

"When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed."
Mother Teresa

Soul Wrenching! My heart hurts so much.

Brilliant and moving pictures. It strikes me that our excessive and luxurious way of life here in North America is only possible because while we have so much, there is an entire world that has almost nothing. We exist on the backs of the whole world.

Also, is it just me that found it odd that the man with the stick is leading the rest of the men with guns in #22? Maybe put a guy with a rifle on point...

Sad but brilliant... #30 & #33 really touched me. How do we forget that they too are human like us ?

Thank you for sharing.

Hard and amazing photos!

#33, with the caption, maybe one of the most powerful images i've ever seen.
Incredibly simple picture for such a deeply emotional story.

Great and heart touching pictures world is very nice and beautiful and every one is happy.

Hah check out the guy with the orange shirt in picture 22 ( link) . On his shirt is "Club Gitmo" - what the heck?

Besides, I'd also like to know who supplies those rebel militias with firearms. Thinking about someone who makes business with this cruel war makes me feel sick somehow..

ps. Those traditional Congolese hair styles seem a bit unpractical...

Heart Breaking...

Tell them to smile - Obama is gonna solve all the worlds problems !!!

Please.

Man is a bad animal....

Picture #22....

How did the guy in front get stuck with a stick and everyone behind him get a gun? I think they need more training......

Inspiring and motivating. I see the determination in their eyes and must smile in the midst of my tears. Their perseverance is beautiful. Thank you.

Wow, such beautiful faces.

These are absolutely gorgeous and I love how they don't hold back to show what is really happening.

Amazing shots and a nice collection

30 years ago, I already have seen similar pictures from african countries and nothing changed and in 30 years my children will see the same pictures ....... even Obama can not help, it is always a question of power and money, not more .....

Such beautiful faces, such misery.

We don't do enough.

This is just incredibly sad. Thanks for publishing these.

#13 FTW!

how ironic... one of the men in #22 wears a "club g'itmo" T-shirt that was put out by rush limbaugh to support the US use of guantanamo bay. all things are in relation.

excellent photographs, showing how bad that people living in other countries.

these foto essays are just incredible. thank you.

Striking photos, thanks for sharing, i hope these countries can get out of this misery. They seem to be such a great people,

Simply amazing photographs. Thank you for opening my eyes to the heartache and determination of the Congolese people. I was deeply moved by your pictures.

Truly amazing photos - DR Congo has seen such a sad series of events in recent times

Utterly heartbreaking. #18 and 33 bring tears to my eyes...Mercy for these people..

These pictures truly tell a tail that no one should ever have to experience. After seeing these pictures it breaks my heart to think that the economy is in such a horrible crisis and these people who are relying on donations might not get what they are expecting. I know the life of these individuals is different from what I have come accustomed to in life, but I want them to be able to prosper and not end up like picture #33 and his family. Thank you for sharing these emotional photos!

Nothing changes in africa,
as usual

Speachless....

shame on humanity...

very powerful and beautiful... thanks for sharing...

Thanks to Mr. Taylor for posting my photos from Congo and to those who have commented. It's good to see people reacting so strongly to the harsh realities of every day life here. I'm glad a number of pictures were also chosen that show the strength and resilience of the Congolese people, whose bravery and character never ceases to amaze and humble me wherever I meet them, even in the most dire situations.
Just to clarify, the man on the right in picture 22 is carrying a large machete, not a stick. I will check in again and respond to any further questions of comments. Regards, -Finbarr

to reader #17, do you think only cellphones do damage to the Congo? And Congo alone? The very computer you've used to type your message has been manufactured from so many items, oil for one, coming from all over the world where suffering is spread out as well. So can we assume that you're living in a hut like a recluse, living from your own garden, dressed like a caveman? And that you refuse any medical treatment?
don't get me wrong, I wish those horrors and inequalities would stop too but your childish comment is not helping.

Golden eyes

What can I say that hasn't been said better. Let's hope their suffering ends soon.

heart breaking, it makes it harder to enjoy the photography.

I've been following since the start and this is the best series yet on The Big Picture - which is definitely saying something.

#33, she've seen a lot for a 8year old

I'm from that region. i'm from bukavu and those pictures were too hard for me...
But i have to thank you however for having bring the reality of misery and war to people from north. Things they seems to forget unfortunetly

Beginning with #4 all of my needs and wants turned to 'dribble.' At # 18 my heart fell apart - from there, it went downhill. Thanks so much for the shot of reality that says I am blessed.

The Rush Limbaugh "Club Gitmo" shirt in picture #22 is funny.

fotos bastante realistas e com absoluto senso da miseria humana, obtidas pelo fotografo.

Great pictures showing the individual suffering of each. To often war pictures are to distant and make the suffering disconnected and thus turn it into a mere statistic. Not allowing us to connect to the situation of other humans with hopes and families, across the globe. These pictures prevent: "Death of One Man Tragedy Death of Millions a Statistic".

#18 utterly breaks my heart.

Such beautiful, awful photos. Some day I hope they are all able to see peace again.

Je reste sans voix devant tant de misère et pourtant il brille encore de l'espoir dans certains regards...
Magnifiques photos, très touchantes!

Wonderful portrails. Congratulations!

What can we do to help?

Amazing photos. Wordless for number 18.

I would like to help, what do I need to do? I'd adopt the son who has machete marks on him...

Truly wonderful pics. It's crazy how religions and ideologies can divide compatriots, resulting to civil wars. They only gain in this whole story are the millions spent on military equipment... I'm sure the people behind all this are well known, but the climax of the trade must be big enough to silence almost every concern, even though it's dealing with human lives..

please some do something for them................
hey US where are you...........

great work.

Mass poverty in Congo and Uganda and nothing more...

Touching and heartbreaking

I love this website! The photos are so touchy!

13 is my hero

Compliments! Really great pictures..I have just left the DRC...thank you for sharing these pics!

If you really want to help, find small organizations to give money to; stop replacing your cell phone every 2 years; stop buying diamonds; and start thinking about how you spend your consumer dollars. Every thing we do has an effect somewhere in the world. Many of the economic connections come back to DRC. It's not just a matter of throwing up our hands in despair about poverty and violence. These each has a genesis and reasons that they are prolonged. US politics and aid play a part, but neither is the whole solution. There are plenty of organizations working in eastern DRC that can use your cash if you want to donate. Use your Google-fu, people.

Awesome! Unfortunately, we're talking about suffered people...

Nothing we can do.

magnifique photos bouleversantes et pleines de pudeur
patrick M

Thanks for posting these photos. It is so essential to see how people at other sides of our planet live.
This could bring appreciation for what we have and our work and living conditions.

Absolutly stunning photography.
Let's hope that with one day there is peace for these people.
Human beings really are the worse kind...
Finbarr you should be comended for bringing this to light and it's what people need to see, #18 shouldn't have a "this may offend" on it without the shock nothing will get done.
There's too many goody two shoes hippy mung beans that want to cover up things and only show the good side of life.when people need to be shocked.

Very Sad and touching..

#35 makes me wanna take the boy home and give him a life.... But sitting here all I can say is that I want to... but I cant actually do it.... which makes me feel like a hypocrite..

#13 makes me smile.... 200 pairs of matching clothes...... Wow.... He must be the rich dude around... What does a money changer actually do ???

#23 Loved the photo....

very touching ...
thanks for share all brother ...

keep safe human right

Great Photos. The photos did a good job viewing the reality of the situation there, but in a dignified way.

i love your comments, too bad you'll forget all about this as soon as you close this page and return to your grande latte and your complicated existence. very sad indeed

#59: I am a software engineering, I use my computer to make a living. By the way I have a clean conscience, your comment is not making me angry because I live in peace with the world.

Beautifull pictures... hope for a peace day in Congo.

I'm an Accountant at Multinational Oil Company. Never in my life time have i ever seen such a collection of pictures. we have to do so many things on behalf of our poor peoples. it is time to get together .......?

Big up the big picture!!
thank you.

GR8 pictures as usual............
Will there ever be peace in he heart of Africa??

And the world is worried abt recession!!

Poignant !

how can one say anything while sitting in my home with my children sipping coffee

Increible, amazing, magnifique...

Thomas Malthus was right and is right. A condom in every six-pack.

And this happen all the time on our planet while we complain about our life during eating a Hamburger. The Western Countries have put more money in capitalism in the last months than for development aid since 1945. Any further questions?
SOME MORE PICTURES (Topic: Congo after the War - Maltreated children's souls) -> http://www.stern.de/wissenschaft/mensch/:Kongo-Krieg-Geschundene-Kinderseelen/656073.html

Amazing photos that speak of what is really happening outside of the fox and msnbc realm.

on a side note look at the orange shirt #22 "Club Gitmo" from the rush limbaugh show ...amazing

reminds me of a photo i have from iraq with a local man working on a broken raw sewage pipe that has a shirt that says "I voted for bush and all I got was this lousey t-shirt"

Amazing, beautiful people. Strong as mountains.

And the only one weeping is crying for someone else.

All in the name of power and money. How did the world get so screwed up.

I just want to bring the kids in numbers 35 and 38 home with me. Otherwise they'll just end up like number 32. Boy soldiers.

No words could explain what i'm feeling now.
besides, wonderful photos.

Jolts you into realising that we have nothing to complain about. Incredible and heart-breaking photographs

Deeply moved..... US spends billions of dollars on Star Wars like crazy programmes and designing latest weapons......who will feed these hungry sons of divine Lord.........

Pìkné fotky! Nice photos!

When I was a kid, my mother used to tell me to finish my dinner, because some young child in africa was starving.

It was many years before I realised that child would die whether I ate my brussel sprouts or not. I think I'm going out and buy a new cell phone.

These pictures are very deep and beautiful. They show that these people are completely human and have to deal with more than many of us in the West will ever know.

That being said, much of Africa is in chaos, we can blame as much as we want on European colonization and capitalist agendas, but it is the people that are killing each other, they are uprooting their cultures and destroying their lands and their people.

Africa, in many aspects, is very far behind in modernization. European history is full of similar stories, we have committed similar atrocities but we managed to get out of it (for the most part) through reason and experience. It seems like Africa just refuse to listen.

Throwing more money at the problem will not combat the situation. The governments are more corrupt than even the worst European politician. The hard-working African people are so often the ones that are brutalized, raped and murdered. Much of the continent lies in total ruin. It is a shame because there exists a rich culture with wonderful people. But it seems that there is no way of peace nor much of a future for many parts of Africa.

@ 112.

I agree completely.

so sad. and can you imagine some people in the u.s. think they have it so bad. they all need to take a look at these photos. but i am affraid of what coul happen to us here in the u.s. in the future. we should pray for these people in the photos. and for ourselves in the u.s.
God bless

so sad...=
let's pray for their safety...

Why not let nature run it's course? Nobody can ever seem to understand that this is why the population is growing exponentially. It's never going to plateau until we stop saving everyone and everything that comes along in the world. For example, picture 18 is that of a child that nature would euthanize, but not the bleeding hearts that want to save every child they can, even if it means they'll be stricken with disease and pain for the rest of their lives. But these morons are the ones that complain about the population crisis while donating to dying children.

The human race will be it's own demise and these pictures are proof.

There is a lot of beauty in the images of the people and the natural riches of Congo, and it is hard to understand the atrocious levels of violence and hatred that leaves the place in constant convulsions. Except that we live from a lot of the natural resources from regions like Congo and this creates a huge incentive for bribery, corruption, violence, and ultimately conflict. It is enough to see how some corporations are willing to make despicable deals to get access to the resources. Just look at the deals for the oil in Cabinda, Angola. Once upon a time it was said that the country is ruled by a communist mafia. Now there is no word about this anymore, but the same clique is in power. George Bush and Dick Cheney even received Mr. dos Santos in the White House. He is one of the richest persons in the world. One hard working dictator who could care less about the suffering of his people. Congo next door is no different in this respect.

We all are guilty, in our hungherness, in our need of more, all we are trash, we made this with our needs, money, jewlery, gold, shine, shine, shine, all we need it's that, when our souls are dry and empty, we should fill it up with love, not whith things. All of you there, don't buy a bigger T.V. or "better" car, apreciate the nature just how it is, FREE!

Take some time to look at #35....

Cell phones are actually one of the tools that enables growth in many local economies as a means of connecting sellers with buyers and getting goods to the right markets when needed.
Alternate currencies have evolved around trading cell-phone minutes instead of cash. A minute today will still be a minute next week, whereas a roll of bills may quickly decline in value to half or worse...
As with all structures, these too work best in times of peace and relative security.
Heartbreaking pictures of a beautiful people... thanks for bringing them to our attention again, please keep them coming.

heartbreaking, thought provoking, powerful photography - thank you once again for opening our eyes

whilst I do not know how to help the people illustrated here, after a trip to Kenya I have set up this website to help two schools who are very much in need of help, please take a look http://www.mombasaschools.org.uk/

very moving, excellent pictures. Thanks for sharing.

#18...my God, how she's small... and how we're fat...

São simplesmente lindas, perfeitas!

These amazing photographs show the world what is really happening in most of Africa. The inhumanity of terrible people against their own kind. Animals are better than these so called humans. Most are governed by a dictator, who with his so called armies (thugs and monsters) go around killing, raping, mutilating, and then burning the villages and killing the villagers livestock. Thousands of orphaned children, who have given up on hope. So much genocide, hatred because another person comes from a different tribe!!!! I get sick to my stomach when I think about what these poor defenseless people have to go through. A living Hell! And don't blame the USA,,It would take the whole world to settle this! !!!pp

Many Thanks Indeed for this pictures.

Regads from Spain

Many Thanks Indeed for this pictures.

Regads from Spain

I LOVE the way LEFTISTS describe gold mining and their other jobs as "hard manual labour." What the Hell do they expect? That Microsoft is going to set-up a high tech plant there?? These people NEED the jobs they have and are GLAD for them because it sure beats starving. Stupid socialists should butt out. Reminds me of all the crying 2 years ago about poor little children "ship breaking" in Pakistan. Jobs = money = food.

Do you all notice the Congolese names? They are Africans but with French names.
And does anybody notice which colonial nation has its colonies always caught in tribal wars, and which colonial nation has its colonies thrive in peace and prosperity ?
The French colonials never taught their colonies about democracy (even when France is the birth land of democratic republic?), discipline, or responsibility of leaders towards their people. So their colonies are always at war (Congo, Ruanda, Mauritania, etc). Their colonies' leaders are never first class leaders, capable of holding a nation together besides their own tribe, in other words, egoistic.
These differs from colonies from England like South Africa, ZImbabwe (at first), Kenya, Tanzania, (not including divided India which was war torn in its first years because of unduly country division into two) : they get good disciplined and far thinking leaders, educated in UK, a KINGDOM not a REPUBLIC.
The youth of Africa should be educated in UK so they could be good leaders with empathy for people, not be schooled in the guillotine head-beheading France.

Well done Finbarr O'Reilly ; I was used to work in East Congo with "Doctors Without Boarders" and I ' m glad that pictures are representing what words can hardly say . I keep being haunted by this misery in Congo while here, in West Australia where I live , the materialism is encouraged to the extreme . Totally opposite worlds , Australians very ignorant of their extremely good fortune!

Crepate tutti merdacce africane!

Regards from Italy

Well done, and such great photography, some of these shots are breathtaking... it really captures the essence of the situation.

Finbarr
You may not realize it, but I so proud of you and what you are doing. Dad

Superb photojournalism!

CANNOT WAIT FOR ALL THESE VIOLENCE TO END. LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO LIVE IN SUCH VIOLENCE. THESE PEOPLE NEED RELIEF FROM THIS INSTABILITY.

Heartbreaking, compassionate, courageous photos. I most particularly appreciate and respect Mr. Finbarr O'Reilly for caring enough about the people in the photos to have learned their names, and for recording them as real people rather than anonymous strangers.

I commend your skill and sensitivity here. The humanity of these people comes across without prejudice. The painful silence and sorrow present here comes across all the more for the restraint. These people have been surrounded by chaos and hatred and here in these moments we see them as individuals.

We all know there's no magic wand with any conflict zone. Speaking as someone who has spent time in Northern Ireland. I do know that if people are given pause to see those around them, that they may hurt, true humanity then brutality and rage are often averted. These pictures help provide that pause.

ola pobrecillos me parecen muy malas las condiciones en las que viven esas pobes personas no se que decir me e quedado "en blanco" "sin palabras"
les deseo buena suerte para ellos...

Imperialism Results !!

Lost lives, displaced families/homes, starvation, unsanitary survival (existance, not living)! The suffering is spoken in the Eyes of these beautiful souls. We see and hear the lambs-a-cryin'...I pray we find ways to care for all HUMANITY distant and far. Our own eternity hinges upon how we respond to the crying. Once I see and know, I am compeled to act. I held the children, wiped the tears, caressed each face in my arms as I prayed for their deliverance, realizing that my own is anchored in theirs. God, give me strength to move from my comfort zone to be an obedient shepherd. Thanks for the revelation in photos! Sensitive! Powerful!

de très belles photos qui en disent long...

"CANNOT WAIT FOR ALL THESE VIOLENCE TO END. LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO LIVE IN SUCH VIOLENCE. THESE PEOPLE NEED RELIEF FROM THIS INSTABILITY."

Unfortunately violence is part of the sub Saharan Africans' nature. Wherever they go, violence and hedonistic behavior follows. Just look at the inner cities in the United States and look at what's happening to the cities in Europe they're now beginning to infest.

Nothing unusual. Thousands of years of documented history and we still see starving babies, genocide and the entire list of 3rd world indicators that plague that entire continent.

Don't waste your money attempting to fix a problem that needs to solve itself.

Wow, those are great portraits! Well done!

What a sad commentary these remarks are. For the most part, it appears as though they are simply reviews of the author's photography? My god, have we become so detached? Perhaps the most targeted comments were...what can we do? Congogirl, your remarks were poignant and direct. Thank you. People, take time to look into the eyes of the children....and then ask youself, "what can I do."

Speechless................

Hey Tiffany- Why is it always "what can _____ do for these people?" How about they do something for themselves for once? Hundreds of billions, TRILLIONS if you include private charity, has been given to this continent. All it has achieved doing is severely increasing the size of the population, setting it up for an even more catastrophic problem. Blame can only get you so far, they need to look at themselves for the cause of their problems. Look into the eyes of the children?-the world has been guilt-tripped into that for DECADES. Not only has there been ZERO results, it has actually gotten worse over there. Cease all aid, and let nature solve Africas problems- it is long overdue.

i think that this is a bad thing happen to the congolese i prey that god will hlep these people.

God thank you for your mercy to us, and comfort those who suffer ...

yu have this strengh to keep eye, humanity and esthetic. Everything inside is together: blood, sadness, the shame, the hopeness, the smile... To keep all is to be alive. Yur photography is alive.

as a black man in mississippi to think i have it bad .we all can help my hart go out to them,how can i help.

very sad, but the photos are amazing!
contratulations!

Gorgeous. Tragic, but very, very beautiful.

Really great selection of photographs. Striking beauty of faces and in the same time hoorible human tragedy.

Dear Mr. Taylor, thank you for offering these amazingly powerful photos to the world. I am president of an association in support of victims of sexual violence in the DRC here in the Eastern Pyrenees (France). We are partnering with a local association in Kasongo (Maniema, DRC) a zone that has suffered from the war since 98. We are in the process of developing our website (you can see the current draft on line) and we need good photos. Is there any chance that we might be able to use some of yours? What process would that require? We are putting all our resources into local awareness raising and helping our partner in the DRC apply for funds. Linde Rachel for Ensemble pour les femmes.

It was #20 that struck my heart and brought tears to my eyes. How rare it is that a photographer shows the Congolese people for who they are: human. beings.

finbarr o'reilly, asante sana. you capture a region that has my heart and my voice, thank you for the value your images crown the people of eastern DRC with. hakuna amani, hakuna maisha.

Fantastic pics, a spectacularly beautiful country, where the suffering goes on and on, beautiful, sad, afraid, proud,and happy faces despite all,we volunteer our childrens childhood away, they have their,s taken.

Great pics. Sad events. The African soul will always survive nonetheless. By the way, is that a used toothbrush in pic 29? We really improvise in Africa!

I just sat down with my 5 year old daughter and looked at these photos.

I am in awe, what amazing photos. I hope to be able to capture emotion like this some day, wow!

i am african and am in so much pain when living here in the united states and congolese innocent children and women get killed,i wish the outside world could open its eyes and help stop the so called government and rebels from sweeping out the countrys population.

this is very very sad every1 says that the U.S needs to do something but, what! these are very sad pictures it should make us feel very lucky!!!!!!!!

I just can't believe how spoiled we are and don't even realize it. These pictures totally help you get back to reality and help you see that even if you don't have the newest phone, you still have way more than they do. We need to appreciate what we have and give to the people who have nothing. Thank you for posting these photos, they have pretty much changed my life.

These are spectacular images once again of the misery of Congo. I would also urge people to look at the work of James Nachtway, similarly evocative. What can you do? You can give and involve yourself in organizations that look to the future of Congo by educating scholars within Congo by service centered education. Please see our website givingbacktoafrica.org and think about giving or being involved. What is truly evocative is being in Congo and seeing the enormous human potential there. The images you see just give you a sliver of the depth of the human spirit here and it is not hopeless and yes you can make a difference. The loss of life in the tsunami and Haiti occurs every 6 months in Congo over and over.

some sad some cute all in all its not good for them to live this way to go throu wat there going throu

Unas fotografías de las imágenes congolesas que más impresionan el corazón. Solamente resta preguntar si el mundo no tiene la sensibilidad para llevar una gota de esperanza a una tierra rica pero amargada.

@ #117 - The next time you are seriously ill or injured, does that mean you'll forgo medical help and just let nature "run it's course" as you say?

wow....been researching and keeping an eye on news of the Congo.
Your pictures are amazing.
Thay honestly bought tears to my eyes, as if only...
Thank you

Wow....Amazing Images!

Eight year old Faustin Mugisa in photo #33 made me cry out for him.
The only hope for him... and for all of us... is righteous world leadership.
Not the post-confligration world leader - but the the one that comes seven years after "The Road To Peace Plan" with Israel is implimented.
Watch for it!

HOOOOOOOO GOD WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO THE WORLD TO DESERVE ALL OF THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

number 130, please get your facts straight, France never colonized DRC; it was Belgium, and DRC was its only colony.

To those who stated "the starving child will die one day" and "nature will take its course"....I hope when your country gets bombed by terrorist....it will be nature taking its course....and people have to die eventually.

just had me in tears...why cant we do something...

You can do something.... you can Adopt.

Why do the girls have to wear their hair like that? I wonder if they want that or if they are forced to use that hairstyle.