48 Children. Forty-eight lovely, wonderful, and unique Kings and Queens of tomorrow.

They came with washed bodies (special for the occasion), clothes too small, some with no shoes, shining faces rubbed with Vaseline, and dirty-long fingernails (that kids seem to forget when caring for themselves).

The right to dignity. Human-dignity begins with child-dignity. We love them, they love us, and they learn to love themselves.

The sweetness of their desire to serve and to please. The self-preservation of their starving stomachs and fight for the last sandwich or cup of juice.

Precious. Each one of them. God bless their lonely hearts if forgotten. So many without parents or individual attention.

Fourty-eight.

“I am hungry, I have pains in my stomach”, three year old Jabulo said to me climbing on my lap then resting his head against my chest.

“I’m sorry little father” I said to him in Zulu (even the youngest of males can be addressed as Father/Baba to give respect in Zulu). “I bathed”, he told me excitingly as a huge thing of pride for the week, “Nontolezo helped me” he said with love. I looked around the park for her- she is maybe 6 or 7 herself- another forgotten child.

I encouraged Jabulo to go play until the food was ready, hoping to distract him from his hunger.

I walk over to greet a new face; a young girl of about 5 years sitting on the ground in the dirt. She had her shoes on backwards, had found a piece of plastic trash, and was spit-polishing her black school shoes (shoes are a thing of pride and one must care for them with any means provided!). The children learn early to be resourceful.

The day before, MaNdaba and I journeyed into town to buy food for this special occasion. The children were out of school on holiday and many would not have recieved a meal at home. Because of a donation made with Friends of Angel’s last week, we were able to feed all of them.

After the meal Jabulo was like a different person- running around with the other kids- laughing and smiling. I watched him toddle-run home, clean, fed, having been held by me, and happy. I wish this for him and every child, every day.