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Trek of Tears
A Graveyard of Children
   
19980415mrPulitzerA48T.jpg (21434 bytes)   The mother of a girl, 10, who died from anemia tosses a handful of dirt into the grave of her daughter, near Mtendeli refugee camp in Kibundo, Tanzania. The act is part of a Burundian funeral, but since their lives are so unsettled the ceremony is brief.
 
19980415mrPulitzerA33T.jpg (16152 bytes) The girl's grave rests among many at the site.
 
19980415mrPulitzerA34T.jpg (20313 bytes) The girl's sister and husband place a cross on her grave.
 
19980415mrPulitzerA32T.jpg (25264 bytes) A Burundian Hutu and father of a young girl who also died from anemia brushes away the tears after burying his daughter at the Mtendeli refugee camp.

African Diary

Kibondo, Tanzania

Another intense day. Every day I am faced with another sad situation. Today was the worst. I photographed the burials of two young girls. Both of them died from anemia caused by malaria. It is very rare that a child in the United States would die from this.

When we enter the cemetery at Mtendeli, I was astounded to see the rows and rows of graves bearing handmade wooden crosses. There were many onlookers, but it was strangely quiet. Burundians keep their emotions well hidden. They didn't seem to mind me being there. In fact, they seemed grateful that a journalist was interested in their plight. It makes me think about what it means to be a journalist.

PreviousNext: The Road to Uncertainty

 



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