VaTradeCoin

An infant, a father, a look of exquisite tenderness on the dad's face.

This is one of the heart-stirring photos in a story we published this year on kangaroo care: When a baby is born prematurely, a good way to help the baby survive and thrive is simply to hold it close to a parent's naked chest.

That photo tells you everything you need to know about the bond between a parent and a vulnerable child. The dad is Yappe Pako of the Ivory Coast. His wife gave birth to triplets who were five weeks premature. One died. The two survivors were not thriving. Kangaroo care was a godsend. "I started taking part myself to give the love of a father to my children," says Pako.

This portrait by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds is one of many heartfelt photos featured this year in Goats and Soda: from a steadfast female de-miner in Angola to a Ukrainian opera singer holding the sheet music she brought as a reminder of her beloved home as she fled a brutal war.

Here are some of our notable photos — and photo-stories — from 2022.

There's a global call for kangaroo care. Here's what it looks like in the Ivory Coast

If you had to leave home and could take only 1 keepsake, what would it be?

In this nomadic tribe in Iran, the women persevere despite hardships

Angola thought women couldn't clear landmines. These women proved them wrong

Diamond diggers in deserted mines break the law — and risk their lives

At Guinea's only specialized snakebite clinic, doctors need luck and antivenom

South Africa's 'train of hope' is a godsend for millions. But new threats loom

Ukrainian refugees feel surprisingly at home in Brazil's 'Little Ukraine'

A 70-year-old man in Gaza needed open heart surgery. It was a race against time

Inside Cape Town's 'hijacked' buildings: 'All we want is a place to call home'