I spent nearly 24 hours on my bed just last tuesday, wondering if my stomach aches would ever leave me. The sickness was horrible. However, fortunate for the devoted readers of this blog, I am here, relieved from my symptoms. Yet, in reflection of my day in bed, something struck me... what if this sickness was my lifestyle.

This particular photo from Salgado, shows us the sickness. Shows us that because there is a shortage of water, these people cannot bathe or wash themselves. Imagine then the festering boil, the whopping caugh- How would you ever hope to stop it? With the water being used specifically for drinking and cooking, there is no hope in stopping it. In fact, as of the year 2000, one of the most deadliest diseases known to man has become a lifestyle. HIV, infecting more than 33 million, with about 20 million dying, has become an uncontrollable pandemic. The solutiona: prevent it from happening.

Salgado, Sebastiao. Photograph. "Migrations: Humanity in Transition [The Human Family Around The World]." Legends Online. Kodiac Professional. n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.

I come from a family of 10, and while that may not seem large to many, our house never has a dull moment. I am the oldest of 8 children, with 3 younger sisters, and 4 younger bothers. Each one of my siblings mean the world to me, and it was very hard leaving for college; very difficult to say goodbye. It would be very impossible to even imagine saying goodbye to them forever. Yet, these children from the S.O.S Orphanage in N'Dosho, Zaire may very well never see their families again.

According to Usaid.gov, the "total number of orphans worldwide is projected to reach 44 million by 2010" (Myorphanage.org). Imagine that, 44 million children without families-without the opportunity or the means to reach their full potential. Picture the anxiety Salgado captures so completly. The fear in not knowing what the future will bring.

Salgado, Sebastiao. Photograph. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. Aperture. Web. New York, 2000. 197

"The Total Number of Orphan Children Worldwide." MyOrphanage.org, 2009. Web. 17 Jul. 2010.

When I think of the many blessings I have been given, it is almost hard to think of life without the them. Yet, the very things I take for granted, daily, are the things other parts of the world struggle to find. Even the life of a poor lowly college freshman would seem heaven for a child in a third world country. Put yourself in their shoes-if only they had them...put your child in them. Where would you find fresh water? Where would you use the restroom? The answer for us might be difficult, but as the picture demonstrates life can still be lived.
In truth, those who live in those conditions make it life. They take raw material-literally-and create happiness. A talk given by President Thomas S. Monson shows us that we are given the "challenge of raw materials, not the ease of furnished things. [God] leaves the pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved, that man might know the joy and glories of creation" (Page 2). What makes this picture beautiful, is not in the display or contrast of the color, rather it is found in the eyes of the children, creating something out of nothing. The children play on the dirt removed for the latrine system and do it because it is a part of them, as it is a part of us. All nations and people have the desire to create, and although this photo might comes from the lonely corners of Tanzania, those idea are very similar to ours.

Salgado, Sebastiao. Photograph. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. Aperture. Web. New York, 2000. 175

Monson, Thomas S. In Quest of the Abundant Life. Web. Ensign, Mar 1988. Feb. 11. 2

Without light, there is darkness. Without hope, there is no light. For these young boys escaping to Kenya, provided for by the United Nations, they are all the hope their families have left. Together these boys travel; instead of games the seek, its death they hide. However, Salgado does not portray death in this picture, otherwise, the focus of the photograph would not be on the light.
Although there is separation from loved ones like I can't imagine, I can't help but to be inspired by the sacrifices of others. With these sacrifices, one of them provided by the United Nation refugee program, families have been given hope in the midst of war. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica the United Nations has been a factor in decreasing the number of refugees of 6,775,000 in 1992 to 2,748,400 in 2004 (refugee). The photo shows the process, it shows that not all is lost. The boys faces may be hidden individually by the light, but they shine brightly in unison.

Salgado, Sebastiao. Photograph. "Migrations: Humanity in Transition [The Human Family Around The World]." Legends Online. Kodiac Professional. n.d. Web. 4 Feb. 2010.

"refugee." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 05 Feb. 2010