Photos!

Here are the first of the pictures that I have from the trip. I took these at the orphanage right after I arrived and after unpacking. They are a little blurry, but these shots give a pretty good idea of how many kids are living in such a tiny amount of space, and the conditions of the township. You can also get a sense of the size of the donation, when you see how much is spread out on the table - and that isn't even all of it!

As I look at these pictures now, I am reminded how underfed and deprived these children are. At the same time, I remember how playful and beautiful these children are as well. For children who have endured so much they are still joyful and full of life. In addition to living in poverty and being malnourished, most of these children were orphaned by AIDS, and many have HIV themselves. Worse yet, some of the older children are victims of sexual assault, and are in the orphanage because they have been ostracized by their communities as a result of that assault.

As soon as possible I'm going to upload the pictures that were taken of the children playing, and the distribution of the donations. I want everyone to see what they helped make possible! Thank you again!