Raphael Borja's photostream  

She lives on a rice farm with her parents and baby sister. Her family of four live resides in a one-room hut beside a noisy pen of 500 ducks (itik in Tagalog), where they make their living caring for the animals. She just took a bath — which she does every day before sundown because there’s no electricity — to get ready for a bed shared by everyone.

Reynaldo Alacapa (left) and a friend let loose a pair of roosters for sparring practice in a backyard in Bacolod, Philippines. Cock fighting (known as "sabong" in the Philippines) is one of the nation's most popular sports, dating back to Spanish colonial times. Sabong also a lucrative pastime for gamblers and breeders.

Travis Gilpin mushes towards the finish line at the 29th annual Bancroft Dog Sled Races on Feb. 19, 2011. Gilpin finished sixth (of nine competitors) in the 20 mile race with a time of 1:56:13.

The forehead of Eva-Marie Smith is marked with a cross of black ashes, an ancient sign of mourning and repentence to God, at St. Michael the Archangel in Belleville, Ontario, Canada.

Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, a season of sacrifice, fasting and almsgiving.

During these 40 days leading to Easter, Christians around the world will reflect on Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and thus prepare their hearts for God through self-denial, prayer and acts of mercy.