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)

In this May 4, 2014 photo, a miner holds an amalgam of mercury and gold he mined after working a 28-hour shift at an illegal gold mining process, in La Pampa, in Peru's Madre de Dios region. Thousands of artisanal gold miners sweat through the long shifts and endure, for a few grams of gold, the perils of collapsing earth, limb-crushing machinery and the toxic mercury used to bind gold flecks. (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

An Indian boy dressed as Hindu god Shiva to attract alms from devotees chats with tourists as they sit on benches partially submerged in flood waters on the banks of the River Ganges in Allahabad, India, Thursday, July 30, 2015. The Ganges, one of India's largest rivers is flooded following monsoon rains. (Photo by Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo)

Spectators in colourful attire cheer as the pack of riders (peloton) cycles by during the 14th stage of the 111th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 151,9 km between Pau and Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d'Adet, in the Pyrenees mountains in southwestern France, on July 13, 2024. (Photo by Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP Photo)

A racoon jumps over a fence in almost deserted Central Park in Manhattan on April 16, 2020 in New York City. Gone are the softball games, horse-drawn carriages and hordes of tourists. In their place, pronounced birdsong, solitary walks and renewed appreciation for Central Park's beauty during New York's coronavirus lockdown. The 843-acre (341-hectare) park – arguably the world's most famous urban green space – normally bustles with human activity as winter turns to spring, but this year due to Covid-19 it's the wildlife that is coming out to play. (Photo by Johannes Eisele/AFP Photo)

Shanina Shaik fuels “Endless Desire” in a new campaign for jewelry designer Jacquie Aiche on October 5, 2023. The stunning model poses seductively in low-cut lingerie and topless under a robe as she showcases the lates handmade fine jewelry from the LA-based designer in the “Endless Desire” campaign. (Photo by Jacquie Aiche/The Mega Agency)

A young fan exchanges friendship bracelets with American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift as she performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Allianz Parque on November 24, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by TAS2023 via Getty Images)

An alligator and his reflection seen in the Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach, Florida on May 2, 2024. The wetlands attract nature lovers and wildlife photographers and are home to more than 140 bird species and a variety of other wildlife. (Photo by Ronen Tivony/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)