The Elton John AIDS Foundation is raising money to battle the AIDS epidemic by offering a portfolio of 10 photographs taken by some of the most significant contemporary artists in the world. For $25,000, the collection includes 10 prints, numbered and signed by the artists, presented in a handcrafted linen case.

Eight-year-old Alyssa Hagstrom was born with a rare disorder that left her unable to use her arms and legs. Confined to a wheelchair most of the day, she can’t eat without assistance. But that doesn’t stop her from trying. “She is very self-motivated and wants to be as independent as possible,” Jennifer Kaczmarek says.

Photographer Mia Collis has been documenting the Pamoja Dance Group since she saw them perform two years ago in Nairobi, Kenya. Pamoja, which means “together” in Swahili, provides a creative outlet for dancers with disabilities while advocating for changes in public policy and perception.

At a young age, Ilaria Di Biagio learned her little sister was more fragile than other children. Injuries came easily, and her body was slow to heal. She was eventually diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a rare tissue disorder that causes her to have hyperelastic skin and flexible joints.

In 2010, photographer Maxim Dondyuk met a man with tuberculosis of the bowels in Ukraine. "A week later, I was with him in the last hours of his life. He could not move and talk; his body was like a skeleton covered with skin," he said. A Ukrainian native, Dondyuk has documented the issue in two regions.

After meeting a friend’s nephew who was suffering from cystic fibrosis, Kyle Monk was motivated to further help and bring attention to those with the disease. The Los Angeles-based photographer decided to photograph portraits of those with CF to "hopefully draw some attention (to the disease),” he said.

Photojournalism student Armando Sanchez started documenting his father’s battle with cancer last summer. At first he wasn’t sure if he would ever share the images, but taking pictures was his way of coping. He says the experience allowed him to see how deeply his parents care about each other.

When Nancy Borowick met 9-year-old Nadya Rodena in an orphanage in Russia last year, she was drawn to her. The American photojournalist didn't let language barriers stand in the way of getting to know the child, who had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy.