As refugees flee their homes, and home lands, they bring very little with them. Most of what they own is carried for miles on their backs. Few have anything, and many have nothing. However, there are a handful of people that are fortunate enough to bring some of there work tools. Salgado captures one such individual in Tanzania, who with the blessing of his sewing machine has been able to mend clothes, and sew tents for the benefit of the "colony."
This sewing machine is not only meant to display the helpfulness of such technology in the refugee communities, but to endow in the viewer, the desire to provide such a blessing. What Salgado attempts to display is the many talents, and qualifications of these refugees. All they need is the chance. In a very real sense, it is the microcredit idea, except, instead of just solving world poverty, we are solving lives. According to the Unitus home page, giving others opportunities, in and of its self, will ultimately offer "increased economic stability...the real possiblity of self-sufficiency."

Salgado, Sebastiao. Photograph. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. Aperture. Web. New York, 2000. 178

"Innovative Solutions to Global Poverty." Unitus. 2010. Web. 18 Mar. 2010

Following the Tutsi and Hutu political tension in Rwanda, hundreds of thousands of Hutu are seen fleeing their home land. Perhaps, these Hutu move out of fear; fear that the Tutsi rebels will seek to kill in their revenge. This is the sad story that Salgado displays, the story Immaculee Ilibagiza describes to us in her book, "Left to Tell."

The reader must have in his/her mind, the people, moving slowly accross a blood filled land. This image in our minds is necessary, for it allows us to visualize feelings, and to experience their humanity. The are not walking alone, as the luggage they carry keeps them company. All they have, they carry upon their backs. The distance they travel, so much further than the strength they can handle. Yet, somehow they push on, never reaching their destination.

Although, we may picture all refugees as adults with families, many do not have that luxury. Some of these boys never found a home, walking for thousands of miles on "barren ground."

Salgado, Sebastiao. Photograph. "Migrations: Humanity in Transition [The Human Family Around The World]." Legends Online. Kodiac Professional. n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2010

"Lesson plans for ages 9-11 in Civic Education: Refugee Children" UNHCR. The UN Refugee Agency, 2006. Web. 12 Mar. 2010

Immaculee Ilibagiza, a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, tells us her story of forgiveness. Forgiveness while she details how she watched a million of her Tutsi neighbors slaughtered because of their ethnicity. From the cramped bathroom hidden in the pastor's home, she shares her inspiring story of faith, indeed, "Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust." Immaculee uses the strategy of extreme detail to create in the reader a sense of overwhelming emotion. I found myself both inspired and depressed at different times during the book. Inspired by her ability to forgive, depressed by the unbelievable actions of the killers. Yet, while involved with either emotion, I couldn't stop reading. My mind and heart had to see the ending, had to see how the story ended. In truth, I would not recommend this book to any who are not willing to act on her challenge. Nor would I suggest it to the young, it being too graphic, too real. I would suggest it, however, to all those who are willing to look evil in the eye, willing to trust in God; knowing that He will protect you. This is a story of love, a story of forgiveness; this is the story of Immaculee Ilibagiza.

Picture: From Barns and Noble Review

Recently, a couple of my friends have been having problems with their knees. They constantly are telling me just how problematic moving with crutches can be. Day in and day out, they continually rely on the crutches aid. Luckily, their fate is merely a month or two, not a lifetime. The photograph, taken by Salgado, shows a couple of the many who have no knees to hurt. They stand on one leg, and instead, use their crutch as an integral part of their daily life.

These are not birth defects, but the result of landmines. According to Salgado's book, the price to place a landmine in the Kuito area is averaged at a mere $6.5, while the price to remove such explosives is about $650. Those who are handicapped by such weaponry are sent to the Lar do Cangalo, located on the outskirts of Kuito.

Although many are handicapped for life, many are dying. According to a website titled, World Vision, the number of people dying is between "15,000 and 20,000." (One)

"An estimated 80 percent of landmine victims are civilians; one-third of these are children." (One)

Yet, the woman standing on a single leg is embraced by her child, smiling. The background suggests hope, a bright sun shining in the distance. Who that sun might be, they do not know, but they are grateful to be alive.

Salgado, Sebastiao. Photograph. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. Aperture. Web. New York, 2000. 229

"One deadly step." World Vision. Building a better world for children, 2010. Web. 6 Mar. 2010