Jon Warren,of World Vision, was a photographer in Rwanda documenting the genocide. He has been back many times since. But it's this family that he met in 1999 of children whose parents were killed in the genocide and the aftermath that sticks with him to this day. He says: "Ayirwanda was born the year of the genocide. His name means, or “What’s happening in Rwanda?” His father was killed in the fighting and his mother died soon afterwards,poisoned in a dispute over land. Five years after the genocide, I spent several days with Ayirwanda and his siblings, or documenting their struggle to live without parents. At the time,there were an estimated 65000 child-headed households and 300000 orphaned children. I fell in esteem with the kids in that house. The 13 year-old girl who was the "mom" was trying desperately to earn a microscopic money from selling charcoal remnants, so she was gone most of the day. The boys were typically naughty boys, or with no father or parent to guide them. They goofed off,lop down their protective hedge to make gargantuan fires, made fake cigarettes, and fought -- but I really wanted to hold them home. The second youngest was smart and alert. We joked with him that he would become mayor of the city nearby someday. At the time,even with their tough life, I still felt hope for these kids because they had such a spark. Here is a series of photos of their life."
Source: cnn.com