Children of Africa

The children of Africa tug at our heartstrings ever day. They are, in general, gentle, well-behaved little people. The young are the hope of the future and we see it in their sweet, shining faces. They are filled with light and promise and are a joy to watch. Some of the little ones cry when they see us and won't get too close to us scary, ghost-looking, white folks, but we still love seeing them and trying to make friends with them. These are the faces of some of the little people in the church in the Congo and Burundi.

The lucky children go to school. They have double sessions with half days morning and afternoon. Sometimes they have to walk a long way to a school. They come in their uniforms and are serious students. Parents pay tuition for school at great sacrifice and are also serious about their children's education, if they can afford to send them.

Sadly, the children are also the great tragedy of Africa. There are many who have no family. AIDS and other diseases have left large numbers of children to be taken care of by other family members or to fend for themselves. Some families are just too poor to send their children to school. These children work at jobs that are never going to help them to progress, learn & grow.

These boys sell hard boiled eggs on the streets and the young boy in the corner on the right sells black plastic sacks at the marche.

This little girl is selling popcorn and sugar cane. This cute boy works in our yard every day. Look at his clever lawn watering system.

These children are selling small piles of charcoal, which is the major source of cooking fuel here.

Sometimes the circumstances of these innocent little people are the hardest things to see and it's hard to imagine what the future holds for them.

They are precious children of God and knowing that brings great blessings.

As with so many things in the Congo and Burundi, there's a long way to go. But the faces of children in the church give us hope for a better, brighter future for them & their home lands.