Three years ago his parents passed with an illness Leaving Kennedy with no time to grieve, He was left to care for six others. Five little sisters and brothers And a grandpa with palsy and dementia Kennedy carries the burden as head of household.
Every day for seven hours, Kennedy uses an ax his size to chop firewood. His little siblings offer help by carrying the firewood with their tiny hands. All their effort earns a small amount of 25 cents, but Kennedy heads out to work every single day, knowing that without these 25 cents his family will starve again.
Kennedy’s hard earned money buys three small sweet potatoes. Surrounded by the only meal they will eat that day, They patiently wait their turn as the food is distributed. Heartbroken, Kennedy reprimands the little ones As they fight amongst themselves for the bigger bite.
These little children are very thankful for their one bite of sweet potato As they starve two to three days out of the week...Starvation takes Kennedy and the three children up the mountains. In the mountains, they feed on the tree dirt. “The dirt that ants brought up to the tree is soft”, they say with mouths covered in dirt.
Kennedy lives in Zambia Africa, where it is currently going through national bankruptcy. National bankruptcy leads to unemployment, inflation, and severe famine. There are many children that are malnourished like Kennedy and his siblings. There are many children feeding on dirt this very day. Kennedy’s story is relevant not just in Zambia, but all around the world. Currently 811 million people worldwide are starving due to lack of food (WFP, 2021) Last year, Good Neighbors distributed nutritious food to 294,180 people in 38 countries, including Zambia.
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