IMAGES FROM THE FRONT
When Jodie Brown Willard first picked up a camera seven years ago, she wanted to do something artistic. She ended up doing something completely life-changing. “This has been huge,” says Willard, a member of Aspen Glen Club in Carbondale, Colorado. “It’s changed me as a mother, as a wife, as a sister, and as a woman. Not one day goes by that I don’t think about what I’ve seen.”

What she has seen are some of the most heart-wrenching scenes on the planet. Traveling to 15 countries, including areas like Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia, she has visually captured the stories of women and children ravaged by war, famine, and natural disasters. She donates her compelling photos to relief organizations, which use the images for everything from cards and posters to videos and annual reports. “I’ve been humbled by my experiences,” she says. “This has truly affected how I live.”

In late 2005, Willard found herself in Pakistan, helping Direct Relief International meet the immediate needs of people left hurt and homeless by a devastating earthquake. When a head-on collision rendered their vehicle useless, Willard and her travel companion — both unhurt — set out on foot and unknowingly stumbled upon an al-Qaida camp. As luck would have it, another volunteer relief worker traveling through the mountains above them recognized Willard’s colleague. Knowing that the Americans were in treacherous territory, he intervened and was able to get them out of the camp after just a few hours. “I didn't feel like we were in any particular danger,” she recalls, “but at the end of the day I know we were lucky.”

The mother of three has promised her family she’ll avoid Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq, but will travel to Ethiopia this spring. “I am aware every day of how much we have to be grateful for,” she says. “I’m here to make people think about that.” — Paula Felps

Photography Jodie Brown Willard.