childrens' voices
children running
children singing
children clapping
children asking for money
children shouting "muzungu johnny and cecile"!
children barefoot
children in rags
children carrying water
children carrying great heavy loads on their heads
children herding goats
children playing with wooden hoops
children on bicycycles made entirely made of wood
children playing football with balls made of rags and elastic bands
children carrying baby brothers or sisters on their backs
children hungry
children alone
children walking, walking, walking
children always, always with big, beautiful eyes and beautiful smiles.
Beautiful Rwandan children.
The average Rwandan family has 7.2 children. The average rwandan family lives well below the poverty line. Dwellings are so small that children only go inside at night to sleep on the floor.
There are so many children that Mineduc (the rwandan education authority) has introduced a shift system in primary schools so that no class will have more than 49 pupils at any one time. Half the children go to school from 8 - 12 30 and the other half from 1 - 5. Teachers stay all day with no extra pay. (primary teachers dont earn enough to live on, secondary teachers earn slightly more)
Primary schooling is now free in Rwanda, but there are school books, pens and uniforms to buy, so many children dont start school until they are 11 or older and some never go to school.
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