Photo-A-Week #16: Every Child has a Dream

Every child has a dream. The children living in deep poverty are no exception. Upon entering a dwelling in the Khayelitsha slums of Cape Town, a large framed picture on an otherwise empty wall quickly caught my eye. The person in the picture wore a square cap and small black gown. Then a girl came and presented the picture to me. It was actually her preschool graduation photo. Was it her parents who cared so much about her preschool graduation? Or was it herself? Anyhow, I was impressed by how proudly she held the photo and the gleam of success in her eyes.

However with the lack of resources, dreams often remain only as dreams. The children living in the slums easily fall behind in their classes and subsequently lose their motivation. Many students drop out during high school; no need to even mention achieving post-secondary education. Some girls become pregnant when they are only 13 or 14 years old; thus forsaking school completely at an early age. To address these issues, Light and Love Home have set up after-school programs in the Enkanini district of Khayelitsha that target the children's specific needs and we have made significant progress over the last two years. The students enrolled in our programs and activities experience significant improvements in academics and conduct. It is very rewarding to witness how the children can be closer to realizing their dreams as a result of what we do.

每個孩子都有夢，在貧窮地區的孩子們也不例外。在馬達加斯加、尼泊爾、贊比亞的探訪經歷中，孩子們會告訴我，他們想自己成為偉大、有貢獻的人。當我走進南非開普敦的貧民區，在那簡陋、沒有什麼傢俱的房子中，卻在牆上看見這用相架

裱起的大相，相中人戴的是四方帽，還有一件小袍子，卻只是幼稚園的畢業相。心中有點奇怪，是她還是她的父母,竟然這樣重視那一刻？她是那麼神氣地抱著自己的相片讓我拍照。

我們在這貧民區Enkanini開設課後學習班，清楚孩子們的程度，不少學童因為缺少督導，經常缺課，無心向學，或是跟不上，連中學也不能完成，不用說更高程度的教育；有些十三、四歲已經懷孕，被逼放棄學業。然而他們都曾經有心中理想，只是缺少培訓、鼓勵、及實際的幫助；在過去大約兩年的日子中，那些穩定參加光愛中心課後補習及活動的孩子及青少年,在成績及品行上都有進步，他們仍可以一步步向自己理想邁進。

- Violin

Photo-A-Week #15: Hands as Pencils

Can you guess what the children are doing? They are learning attentively how to write the letter 'A'; however, not with pens or pencils, but using only their bare hands. 

Light and Love Home organizes various after-school programs in Enkanini, one of the poorest communities in Cape Town, South Africa. There are many children and we have to prioritize our resources to the higher grades students. As for the younger children, they can only sit on the floor together, listen to the teacher, and use their hands as pencils. Nevertheless, they are eager to learn and rarely miss classes (partly because snacks are offered at the end).

猜孩子們在做什麼？他們不是唱遊做動作，乃是在學英文字母「A」。他們跟著義工導師用手勢作「A」字圖形。看孩子們的眼神，他們是何等的專注。

在南非開普敦的貧民區，我們為孩子們舉辦各樣課後補習及活動，許多的資源都先給了較高年級的學生，無論是導師、傢俬和文具，所以幼童們就只好一大群坐在地上，用手當筆，看著黑板，跟著老師大聲朗讀。雖然如此，他們還是學得興高采烈，甚少缺課，因為還有茶點的吸引。

- Violin

Photo-A-Week #14: Soccer Dreams

Children love to play regardless of where they are. This time when we visited Zambia, we stayed in a rural area surrounded by pig shelters, farms, and woodlands. Despite the uneven terrain, the lack of proper equipment and sportswear, and a very worn and under-inflated soccer ball, the children still played with all their hearts and might. Their level of joy and enthusiasm were not affected by such poor circumstances in any way.

I finally found an opportunity to take a closer picture of them together when they finished playing after sunset. From the photo, can you see the soccer dreams in their eyes?

小孩子愛玩。有好的設施，玩得安全又開心；沒有好的環境、 原來也不減樂趣。 今次贊比亞之行我們住在鄉村, 隔鄰就是豬屋, 門前就是禾田，屋後就是叢林，好像沒有活動的地方，然而村中孩子們就在阡陌小路間和屋前小空地追逐, 踢球。

泥地高低不好跑，沒有龍門、 沒有球衣、 沒有運動鞋、 沒有教練、 就連足球也沒有彈力，只是看起來像足球，（因為我也有試踢一下)， 但他們玩得開心，認真， 盡力顯身手， 直玩到日落才停下來，讓我有機會為他們照相。 從他們的眼神，你可看到他們的足球夢？

- Violin