The portraits of the children say it all. They are not the faces that I have ever seen in my lifetime, but looking at their photos can penetrate your soul and forces you to take action. It is more than the dirt on their sun dried skin. Instead, we are moved by the faces of these beautiful children. Faces that express more experience with their hope inspiring stares and heart-melting grins than I ever could with any pretty adjective that I write with a pen.

and Gregory Smith Knows it.

The Passion behind the Inspiring Photos

I came across Gregory Smith’s photostream at Flickr last night. I was looking for a nice photo to put into an article that I wrote, and his photos made me stop to listen to the stories of the children who he photographs. Many photographers would like to bring a smile to a person’s face, most photographers would like to tell a story, but all photographers would love Mr. Smith’s gift of allowing the picture’s subject to instantly change your life.

Gregory Smith is one of the world’s most inspiring photographers, but he shares his pictures for free on Flickr through a Creative Commons license. He isn’t spreading his photos in search of personal fame nor achieving great personal wealth. Instead, Mr. Smith uses his amazing gift from God as an amplifier for the impoverished children in Brasil and Norway.

Helping At Risk Kids of Brazil

If you click on Mr. Smith’s flickr profile,  you notice he uses it as a plug for the organization CARF – Children at Risk Foundation. When I contacted Gregory Smith about doing an article on him, he explained to me that he is the founder of this organization. This inspiring photographer founded CARF in 1992 by helping children in Norway through “defending their rights and offering them a dignified solution so that they could live and grow within a family-oriented context and healthy social environment” (Gregory Smith). After having success in Norway, Mr. Smith went to set up a CARF community in Brazil.

In 2001, CARF Brazil built the Hummingbird Arts & Cultural Activity Centre. Its 600 capacity building consists of programs that are “… primarily preventive in nature and promote the confidence, character, competence, and ‘connectedness’ of that population to their family, peers, and community” (CARF Flickr). The programs at CARF can be categorized into three different areas – Sports, Arts and Cultural, and vocational. Their goal is to develop gifts and skills that will help these children succeed in their personal and professional lives.

CARF is known and sponsored all around the world, and the inspiring photography of Gregory Smith is a large contributing factor for this publicity. He uses his gifts and talents as a photographer as a way to spread the message and story of millions of at-risk children around the world. The smiles, actions and emotions jump off the pictures that he takes. Take a moment to browse his photos and experience all the joy, pain, and hope of the people you will never know.

Will you please take a second of your time and help me spread the inspiring stories of the children who are at risk in Brazil through Gregory Smith’s inspirational photography?

Click on the sharethis link below and choose your facebook, stumbleupon, digg, twitter or myspace account to share this inspiring story.

If you would like to view more of Mr. Smith’s inspiring photos, you can go here and check out some of his most inspirational photography.