Rachel Raven Jeraffi is a photographer, and the founder of W.O.M.B. The World Project and Nissim-Nessim Maternal Light Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting maternal health in underserved communities around the world.

For more than 25 years, Rachel photographed pregnant women — not simply as subjects, but as women carrying the mystery, vulnerability, and power of creation itself. Over time, one question began to guide her work:

What if the foundation for healthier, stronger human beings begins in the womb?

In late 2019, during a moment of stillness, Rachel experienced a profound realization: that a mother’s emotional state, thoughts, environment, and connection with her unborn child may help shape the inner world of the life she carries. That moment became the seed for W.O.M.B. The World Project.

Since then, Rachel has traveled across 18 countries — from remote villages to urban communities — photographing and interviewing pregnant women from vastly different cultures and circumstances. Through these journeys, she witnessed both the fragility and strength of motherhood, especially in places where resources are limited but human resilience is profound.

W.O.M.B. was created as more than a photography exhibition. It is envisioned as an immersive, traveling experience — a contemplative space that invites visitors to reflect on the earliest beginnings of human life, the mother-child connection, and the importance of honoring motherhood across all cultures.

At the same time, the project is rooted in action. Through Nissim-Nessim Maternal Light Inc., the work helps support maternal care initiatives in the countries documented — including access to safer birth conditions, essential supplies, education, transportation, clean water, and compassionate support for mothers in need.

The nonprofit was founded in honor of Rachel’s parents, Professor Eliahu Nissim and Mitza Nissim, whose love and encouragement shaped her path, and her uncle, Dr. Jose Nessim, an obstetrician-gynecologist who devoted his life to safely bringing babies into the world.

Rachel believes that no woman should lose her life while giving life, and that the way humanity treats mothers reflects on the way it values human creation itself.

Through art, storytelling, and global outreach, her mission is to help restore dignity, awareness, compassion, and support to the journey of motherhood — and to remind the world that every human life begins within the sacred space of a woman’s womb shaping who we become.