But they were noted in the size of the families. Parents had many children because they knew half could die. Tunkara, whose hair is gray and whose face is weathered, is wealthy by Gambian standards. His walled compound has concrete living quarters for him and his four wives. There is no electricity or running water.
Chickens run free in the dirt yard, and a mule is tethered to a pole near the fence.
A single vaccine might have saved the life of his son, Buli, who was 3 months old when he fell ill. But the loss of one child, painful as it was, did not devastate his family. Our children are our social security system. This is the cycle of disease and poverty Gates wants to see broken. It's a cycle that is at its most vicious in Africa, perversely contributing to the continent's high birth rate.