Dog Meets World is a unique new charity all about bringing people together through photography! With the help of the ambassador toy dog "Foto" and a portable printer, we aim to put a photo directly in the hands of every child in need in the world, often for the first time. No longer just take pictures when traveling, practice TAKE & GIVE Photography! Donate directly or join the community of volunteer Phodographers to share joy worldwide as a photo diplomat!

WHO  (vs what) IS A PHODOGRAPHER?

You, the traveling educator, can easily be a phodographer and join the worldwide movement and practice Take & Give Photography. On your next trip to the developing world, just pack along a "Foto" pup and a very portable printer. Sharing pictures on-the-spot is a meaningful and fun entree for social interactions with local peoples and is a gratifying experience for those on both sides of the lens. Photos and stories are highlighted on the Dog Meets World website. Foto has already been taken to 23 countries and over 3000 photos have been given out!

PHOTO PHILANTHROPY

Take and Give Photography, literally the on-site capturing and printing of photographs for those without means to do so themselves. Foto, the dog, is the official icebreaker, ambassador and mascot to identify and connect all pictures.

The dream of Dog Meets World is to empower travelers to make real connections to people in other cultures, in essence to become photo-diplomats. A picture makes anybody a "somebody". Dog Meets World clothes people in acknowledgment and affirmation and feeds their souls, which indeed is priceless.

Through Take and Give Photography, a dialogue is created between the underrepresented people of the developing world and the developed, yielding a cultural and educational exchange program. Dog Meets World facilitates the personal empowerment of the youth of developing nations, while it teaches the developed world the power a photograph holds and creates an understanding that all people deserve recognition and self-affirmation through the power of photography.

Background:

While traveling the world, founder Carolyn Lane frequently photographed children as they played with Foto, a small stuffed toy likeness of her dog that she carried along. Witnessing the children's delight seeing their image on the digital screen, she imagined what it would be like to actually print their picture and hand it out right then and there. Giving a photograph is a simple act of kindness. It says, "I see you and I acknowledge you, for all time."

The dream of Dog Meets World is to change the way we see others in the world, and to empower travelers to make real connections to people in other cultures.

For more information, please see:
http://www.dogmeetsworld.org/

All photos and information courtesy and copyright Dog Meets World.