The Gallery
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Malawi
Crystal blue water dances in the sunlight. Tiny fishing boats nestle together in the gentle breeze. The sound of laughter as little boys play together on the shore. We're witnessing a scene of utter tranquillity... Welcome to Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world.
It may not look like it, but Kela - along with every other village in Malawi - is in crisis. A dark shadow has fallen over its sun-baked earth, and its name is HIV. The global epidemic has spread from urban centres far into the countryside. It is estimated that nearly 90% of Malawi's newborn children may be infected.
For James Yasim, Kela's only English-speaking elder, the problem is not Aids but education - the complete lack of it. Since a foreign loan was revoked earlier this year, the village school has stood empty: no desks, no books and no teachers. "March 12 2006", it says on the blackboard: the day the school closed down.
It's hardly a holiday for boys like David and Elijah, both nine. There's little to do all day and, in a country where only 4% of the population has electricity, still less to do at night. But for now, their natural exuberance is intact.
Only the village elders know the truth about their likely fate. "With no education", says Yasim, "What chance do they have of living? Who will teach them to avoid the mistakes their parents made?"
It's a scenario that is being played out across much of southern Africa. Yasim shakes his head sadly. "It's a time bomb," he says. And the ticking is getting louder by the day.