14 photos that celebrate the beautiful and diverse cultures of the world

Written by: Amber Van Schooneveld

May 21 is the UN’s World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. Compassion works in 25 different countries, each with their own unique and beautiful cultures. We value the cultural identity of the people we serve. That’s why we employ nationals of each country to staff our field offices and why our programs are run by local churches. They know and respect their communities. In many cases, Compassion centres are helping to preserve the culture, as children often learn the traditional songs, dances and instruments of their community at their Compassion centres.

On this day that we honour the beauty God has imbued into each culture, please enjoy these 14 gorgeous photos of diverse cultures around the world.

A Maasai boy grazing cattle in Kenya
Kenya
A Maasai boy grazing cattle in Kenya
A young woman from Bangladesh where's traditional garb. She wears read lipstick, blush and eyeshadow and a red dot is painted on her forehead. She has flowers woven into here braided hair and bracelets cover her wrists. She wears an intricately embroidered red shirt.
Bangladesh
A girl from Bangladesh in her community’s traditional dress
A family in the Amazon region of Ecuador
Ecuador, Amazon region
A family in the Amazon region of Ecuador
A boy in Burkina Faso at his family’s compound
Burkina Faso
A boy in Burkina Faso at his family’s compound
Girls in Mexico wearing traditional dress for a festival
Mexico
Girls in Mexico wearing traditional dress for a festival
Girls in Togo preparing to do a traditional dance at a Compassion centre.
Togo
Girls in Togo preparing to do a traditional dance at a Compassion centre
A young woman doing a traditional dance in Thailand.
Thailand
A young woman doing a traditional dance in Thailand
A young woman from Bangladesh where's traditional garb. She wears read lipstick, blush and eyeshadow and a red dot is painted on her forehead. She has flowers woven into here braided hair and bracelets cover her wrists. She wears an intricately embroidered red shirt.
Bolivia
These hats are a traditional part of dress for women in the highlands of Bolivia
Children in Tanzania wearing their traditional festive garb
Tanzania
Children in Tanzania wearing their traditional festive garb
Four Indonesian boys stand together. They all wear ornate head scarves and silk, button up shirts.
Indonesia
Four dapper young men in Indonesia
An Ecuadorian family of three sits and smiles at the camera. The daughter wears a black head scarf, an embroidered white blouse and a blue dress. Here mother is similarly attired. Her little brother where a traditional black hat as well as a black vest and white pants.
Ecuador
A family in the Andes region of Ecuador
A man from Ghana stands in front of a mud hut with a grass roof. He where's a vibrantly patterned button up shirt and brown dress hat.
Ghana
A man in Ghana wearing one of the colourful patterns of his culture (and a suave hat)
A Compassion graduate in Thailand who cares for elephants.
Thailand
A Compassion graduate in Thailand who cares for elephants
A young boy from Guatemala sits in a church pew. He's wearing straw hat on top of a red bandana. His white shirt has a striped, red collar.
Guatemala
A boy getting ready to perform at a Compassion centre in Guatemala
Amber Van Schooneveld

Amber Van Schooneveld

Amber Van Schooneveld is the Managing Editor of Compassion International's blog.