Children of a Lesser God

Wed 06 Feb, 2013

On the way to find the gorillas, we crossed a local village and a bunch of four kids playing. They enjoyed to have their pictures taken and were ecstatic to see them on the LCD of my camera. Torn clothes, no shoes, dirty but seemingly happy, it makes you wonder about our world.

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Village kids in Bwindi
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A cool guy in Bwindi
Smiling kid in Bwindi
Smiling kid in Bwindi
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A village kid
Me with the village kids in Bwindi
Me with the village kids in Bwindi
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They were really happy in fornt of the camera

On the way back from the gorillas, we had the chance to visit the local school, founded and operated by the local catholic church. What we saw was a very different from what a westerner is used to. The school principal explained us that until recently they did not have any desks for the students and a they managed to get some thanks to a donation. A wooden desk able to accommodate three or four students costs only $25, but this is a lot of money for the school’s budget, which amounts to $1200 for this year. Shame on us.

Kids in school
Kids in school
The school in Bwindi
The school in Bwindi
Say no to gifts for sex
Say no to gifts for sex
The annual budget of the school
The annual budget of the school
A really basic classroom
A really basic classroom
A full classroom
A full classroom

Outside the school, a gang of young kids was playing under the midday sun. How many options will they have in their life? I am trying to figure out what we can do to give them a fair chance to prosper and they only thing I can think of is to help them get some decent education.

Kid outside the school
Kid outside the school
Smiling guy
Smiling guy
More smiles
More smiles
I am shy
I am shy
Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth
The small gang outside the school
The small gang outside the school

Next: The Batwa Pygmies

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park