Photographer and activist Aldo Magazzeni is exhibiting his work, Traveling Mercies: Activism for a Better World, in Walton Gallery from December 5, 2011 to January 20, 2012. The exhibit features Aldo’s photographs during his global missions to assist communities in need. An artist reception is scheduled from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 8. Aldo will also share his experiences during a student assembly on Monday, December 19.

Aldo was born in Abruzzo Italy, a poor rural town badly damaged during by World War II. He immigrated to Philadelphia Pennsylvania as a young boy, and dreamed that he would someday be able to help people, families, and communities in crises.

Aldo began volunteering in 1990 and has worked with communities in Italy, Jamaica, Haiti, Mexico, Bhutan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Kenya, Ethiopia, and others. His affiliation with volunteer groups include local churches, The Salvation Army, Women of Hope, Nyumbani Children’s Home, Pencils for Kids, Living Home Mission, and Voice of Women.

Traveling Mercies features photographs from around the world. In Kenya, many of the photographs are from Nyumbani, a village complex housing thousands of children and elderly victims of the AIDS epidemic where Aldo worked with Father Angelo D’Agostino to create a self-sustaining water system. The images from Afghanistan come from his efforts to stand and support day care centers and shelters for children and adults, establish training centers in women’s prisons, and empower female victims of violence.

The Traveling Mercies exhibit, and the non-profit organization of the same name organized by Aldo in 2007, foster the belief that human equality can only be achieved through compassion, love, and sharing of our life experiences.