Giving Compass' Take:

· In an effort to bring attention to the poverty and hunger in India, photographer Alessio Mamo took some controversial photographs of two poor Indian boys with fake food.

· What are some better ways to bring attention to worldwide poverty and starvation? How can philanthropy encourage a reduction in food waste?

· Learn how collaboration can change the lives of adolescents in India.

An award-winning photographer has come under fire in a row that branded his images “unethical.”

The photographs, posted to the World Press Photo Instagram account in a takeover this weekend, have reignited the conversation around “poverty porn” — meaning the exploitation of poor or vulnerable people.

The Italian photographer, Alessio Mamo, took the images in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, which are two of the poorest states in India, as part of a 2011 photo series about the issue of hunger contrasted with food waste in wealthier countries.

As part of the project, called “Dreaming Food”, he placed fake food on a table in front of his subjects, and asked them to “dream about some food that they would like to find on their table,” according to Mamo’s caption .

Read the full article about poverty porn by Imogen Calderwood at Global Citizen.