Kanini, 13, herds cattle in exchange for food. Every couple of days, he receives a small amount of porridge — barely enough for one person, yet he always carries some home to share with his ailing grandmother.
"[She] cannot do anything to fend for herself," he explains.
Struggling to survive in southern Zambia, Kanini and his grandmother have few options. Both of Kanini’s parents are dead. His grandmother is well into her eighties and is too weak to work. Each worries about the well-being of the other.
"Even if I go for many days without food," says Kanini's grandmother, "it is all right, as long as my grandchild tells me that he ate something."
Their neighbor, Rose, offers to share her food, but there's little to go around. Rose is a widow caring for 10 children of her own.
As rising food prices push basic commodities like rice and cooking oil beyond reach, the community is fracturing. People used to share their food freely — especially with the elderly. Now it's more difficult to do so.
"The hunger situation here is dividing us," says Rose. "Very few people will harvest enough this year."
Still, Kanini dreams about the future. He desperately wants to attend school and take care of his grandmother. But he won't be able to do it alone.
"I don’t go to school," he says, "because there is no one to sponsor me."
For about $1 a day, you can help provide a child like Kanini with access to life’s most basic necessities — things like nutritious food, education, clean water, health care, and economic opportunities for their caregivers.
Change a life. Sponsor a child today. Visit www.worldvision.org/helpachild.
