Breakfast the Most Important Meal of the day!

I know I already uploaded several pictures of the work that I do at the center...but my favorite part of the day is serving the children breakfast. The center usually serves the children from the slums both breakfast and lunch, but since school is out and many of them are away visiting their families in the countryside, they are only serving breakfast. Breakfast usually consist of bread and tea or porridge. On this particular day, porridge was served.

The kids grab a cup and wait and line. Many come back for seconds, sometimes thirds.

This kid couldn't get enough. I think this was visit number three or four for him. Everyone else had already turned in their cups.

For the record, working in a center like this makes me very critical of the evil commercials we see on television about he hungry little African children. First of all, the commercials are correct in that many children and Africa, Kenya, do not have enough to eat. This is true. However, the way the children are made to look unkept, and uncared for is cruel and intentional. It makes me sick. Many of these children are orphaned by HIV/AIDS and they live in slums; however, they are often being cared for by a family member or other people in the community. These children are washed and lotioned and brushed daily. Of course there are a couple of snotty noses and ripped pants because these are CHILDREN and even more so because they are poor children.

Much like it seems that the newscasters find the most ignorant, illiterate, Black person to tell the story, the Feed-the-Children organizations target the outliers: the poorest, snottiest, nakedest, pitifullest, and try to make them seem like the norm. Don't give money to those organizations. Of a dollar, I bet 30 cents of it makes it to the children...and of that 30 cent, 20 cent is likely stolen by the African organizations that are full of corruption. If you really want to help children in Africa, or in any developing nation, get on a plane and come over. Buy the food when you get there...don't give money. See to it that the food is cooked and the children are served. Sadly, it is the only way to really know that your money really went to the children
.