A group of armed young men moves off into the bush to hunt. Meat is scarce. Few animals live here anymore. Most of the men will return with empty game pouches. The people live in round mud huts with dry, thatched roofs.
Fire is a constant threat.
It's almost midafternoon, and the blistering sun beats down as SIM nurse Beth Roberts makes her way through the village. She's a little late, so she doesn't stop to chat as she usually does. She had many patients this morning, and it was past one o'clock when she got away from the government clinic at the edge of the village. Beth thinks Lancine is about 16 years old, but no one is quite sure. He's the ninth of 10 children.