One Bowl at a Time

Title:  One Bowl, One Future

I couldn't help but smile at the photo of the young African girl, wearing a frilly red dress and matching red rubber boots, just beaming into her bowl of nshima. It reminded me of my own children at that age: my son had a pair of red rubber boots he wore everywhere, and my daughter often wore bright coloured dresses. But there the similarity ends.

My children don't need to worry about where their next meal is coming from, and they have access to the best education and medical services available.

Helen Mendes, of SWAPOL, took the photos on which this piece was based. SWAPOL is a Stephen Lewis Foundation project whose aim is "to provide a holistic approach for improving the quality of life for the infected and affected people in rural communities, in an effective and efficient manner”.

Such support will enable this child to have a future that we too often take for granted in our own country.

Dimensions: 16"20"W x 20"H