honorable mention
Mauro De Bettio italy
Photo © Mauro De Bettio
title
ARISE
After high school I started to work delivering bread in order to support myself and my brother, and soon after I started engaging myself in different sports. I have 10 national gold medals so far.
I love playing football, swimming, and cycling, but my biggest passion is definitely contemporary dance. I decided not to fall into darkness but rather show the world that I was a strong person. I decided to overcome my disability and turned it into a strength.
I want to be a source of inspiration for people living with disabilities (and not) by showing that anything is possible when you face something with love and passion.
(600 characters)
Even with my new condition after that horrible accident that happened when I was only 4 years old, I wanted to continue to be treated like other children. I decided not to fall into darkness, but rather to show the world that I was a strong person. I decided
Driven by passion and guided by an unwavering commitment to telling the stories of those who often go unheard, Mauro’s journey has taken him to places of breathtaking beauty, raw reality, and intense emotion.
Among his most significant works are his powerful documentation of acid attack survivors in Bangladesh, the brutal reality inside Manila’s prisons, the stark contrasts of life in Afghanistan, the dreams of ballerinas in Africa's largest slum, the struggles of sex workers in Asia’s biggest slum.
His work is a dedication to giving voice to the voiceless and an unwavering commitment to showcasing the beauty and suffering of our shared existence.
In 2021, Mauro De Bettio founded the Malaika Foundation, driven by his deep desire to give back to the communities that inspired his work. The foundation aims to support food, healthcare, and create opportunities for brighter futures.
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entry description
I was involved in a car accident when I was only 4 years old. My left leg was injured so badly that the doctors decided to amputate it. Because of my “new” conditions, my parents decided to take me to a special primary school for people with physical disabilities. I personally felt I was much more able than most of the children around me, so I begged my parents to take me back to a regular school where all my other siblings were going. I never dwelled on my disability and I engaged myself in all the games that other children played. I refused to be seen as an extra when it was time to choose teams for games. I always wanted to be treated as an equal and not be chosen to play with other kids out of sympathy.After high school I started to work delivering bread in order to support myself and my brother, and soon after I started engaging myself in different sports. I have 10 national gold medals so far.
I love playing football, swimming, and cycling, but my biggest passion is definitely contemporary dance. I decided not to fall into darkness but rather show the world that I was a strong person. I decided to overcome my disability and turned it into a strength.
I want to be a source of inspiration for people living with disabilities (and not) by showing that anything is possible when you face something with love and passion.
(600 characters)
Even with my new condition after that horrible accident that happened when I was only 4 years old, I wanted to continue to be treated like other children. I decided not to fall into darkness, but rather to show the world that I was a strong person. I decided
about the photographer
Mauro De Bettio is an internationally recognized photographer and storyteller whose work captures the heart and soul of some of the most remote and complex corners of the world.Driven by passion and guided by an unwavering commitment to telling the stories of those who often go unheard, Mauro’s journey has taken him to places of breathtaking beauty, raw reality, and intense emotion.
Among his most significant works are his powerful documentation of acid attack survivors in Bangladesh, the brutal reality inside Manila’s prisons, the stark contrasts of life in Afghanistan, the dreams of ballerinas in Africa's largest slum, the struggles of sex workers in Asia’s biggest slum.
His work is a dedication to giving voice to the voiceless and an unwavering commitment to showcasing the beauty and suffering of our shared existence.
In 2021, Mauro De Bettio founded the Malaika Foundation, driven by his deep desire to give back to the communities that inspired his work. The foundation aims to support food, healthcare, and create opportunities for brighter futures.
back to gallery
