Each successive struggle has been more destructive, with more sophisticated weapons and greater involvement by neighboring countries. The Nyembo Umpungu mission station is 400 miles from major settlements and far from battle sites. Still, the wounds of war are evident there. Passing soldiers will strip a village of food, medicine, and livestock. They have abducted boys as young as age 11 and forced them into the army.
Adults laugh and sing as they work.
Children are resourceful in their play, wrapping string around plastic to make soccer balls and poking sticks through leaves to fashion whirligigs. Health Care and Nutrition With the villagers' help, the Crowes completed the Nyembo Umpungu Community Health Center in 1994. Every day, the 24-hour center treats about 100 patients, some coming as far as 100 miles, with complaints ranging from snake bites to cholera. The polio rehabilitation program helps young victims regain the use of arms and legs. The burn unit mostly treats little ones who fall into cooking fires or overturn pots of scalding-hot liquid.