( CNN ) -- Photographer Thomas Nybo has captured images of some of the toughest issues facing Africa , from child mortality to access to education . He recently visited five countries in 11 days as he traveled around West Africa with New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof . An experience photographer and filmmaker , Nybo has documented life in more than 65 countries including Sudan , Lebanon , Congo and Yemen . A regular contributor to CNN , he 's also worked for other organizations including , the United Nations . While in West African countries including Niger and Burkina Faso , Nybo says no matter people 's hardships , he found an unbreakable spirit in everyone that shines through in his pictures . The photographer 's favorite image from the trip was of a girl carrying her sister to a health clinic . `` She was fascinated by the camera and followed me around until I took her photo , '' he said . At the same center he met a boy who was carrying his sister on his back . Nybo points out that if you look closely at his eyebrows you can see he is wearing make-up . `` It was the first time I 'd seen a boy of his age in Africa wearing make up , '' he added . In another of his pictures Nybo also captured a young woman with facial scarification , a common practice in the area . `` They typically use a razor blade or a sharp knife to carve different patterns in to the skin , '' he explained . One of the toughest places Nybo says he visited was a center for malnutrition in Niger . He photographed a family who were camping outside the building because of the stifling heat inside . At the center he photographed a two-year-old baby who was suffering from measles . The baby was starting to go blind from a vitamin A deficiency but doctors were able to save her in time . Nybo says that everywhere he went he met hard-working mothers ; one group in particular that caught his eye had started a community garden to feed their children . Watch the video to see Thomas Nybo talk about more of the photographs .
Photographer Thomas Nybo recently visited five West African countries . Nybo took pictures showing some of the continent 's toughest issues . He says everywhere he went he met hard-working mothers .