The shoemaker in Turkey, the potato seller in Vietnam, and the weaver in Bolivia are among the billions of low-income entrepreneurs who make the world go round. They are also the type of people who can benefit significantly from microfinance. Every year, the Consultative Group To Assist The Poor (or CGAP) hosts a photo contest asking entrants to submit photos based around the idea of microfinance.The purpose of the contest is to give amateur and professional photographers a chance to show the different ways that poor households manage their financial lives and make their lives better through financial inclusion. Photo: South Asia Regional Winner – “Bricks Worker”, Bangladesh. A private enterprise worker is working at a brick field. These small businesses are creating new job opportunities for many poor people. (Photo by Moksumul Haque)

Russian Emergency Situations employees help a girl to bath in the icy water on Epiphany at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Ostankino near TV Tower in Moscow, Russia, Friday, January 18, 2019. Across Russia, the devout and the daring are observing the Orthodox Christian feast day of Epiphany by immersing themselves in frigid water through holes cut through the ice of lakes and rivers. Epiphany celebrates the revelation of Jesus Christ as the incarnation of God through his baptism in the River Jordan. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)

Revellers react in a water fight during Songkran Festival celebrations, in Hong Kong, China on April 9, 2023. (Photo by Lam Yik/Reuters)

People holding umbrellas under strong wind walk pass a crosswalk as tropical storm Ma-on passes Hong Kong, Thursday, August 25, 2022. (Photo by Anthony Kwan/AP Photo)

Pausing for a selfie as plum blossoms burst into bloom in Dujiangyan City, in southwest China’s Sichuan province on February 20, 2024. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)

Participants in traditional dress ride on horseback as they enjoy the atmosphere at the Feria de Abril (April's Fair) on April 12, 2016 in Seville, Spain. The Feria de Abril has a history that dates back to 1857 and takes place a fortnight after Easter each year. The origin of the fair was a cattle market but the event quickly turned its goal from commerce to having fun. More than 1 million local and international participants are expected to attend the Feria de Abril. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Children wearing uniforms hold toy guns during a military parade game on China's National Day, at Beyou World, a centre children where can experience different kinds of professions, in Beijing, October 1, 2015. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

Japan's Mayumi Someya (R) competes against Venezuela's Claudymar Garces Sequera in the women's kumite -61kg elimination round of the karate competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on August 6, 2021. (Photo by Carl Recine/Reuters)