Throughout my travels, I’ve always marveled at the beauty, innocence and hopeful smiles of children. I believe strongly that children are our future. What has amazed me so much is how similar children are despite their unimaginable differences in culture, economic resources and lifestyles. At the end of the day, all children want is to be loved. All children want to have enough food on the table, a roof over their head and books to read. All children want to be respected, cared for and offered the same opportunities in life.
Here are some of the world’s children and their friends who have captured my heart and have filled me with hope.
Here are the smiling faces of some of the girls I volunteered with in La Ceiba, Honduras.
The more one does and sees and feels, the more one is able to do, and the more genuine may be one’s appreciation of fundamental things like home, and love, and understanding companionship. – Amelia Earhart
These boys are learning at one of Pratham’s schools in the Delhi slums.
These girls are learning at an after school program for impoverished children in Xela, Guatemala.
“We are all travellers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend”. -Robert Louis Stevenson
These children live in dire poverty in an unauthorized slum in Delhi. Yet they still had smiles full of hope and love for each other and the camera.
Two lovely girls at the daycare center for impoverished children in La Ceiba, Honduras where I volunteered.
“A friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself”. – Jim Morrison
Boys learning in a Delhi school for the children living in the slums.
Children walking arm and arm in Antigua, Guatemala while their mothers did the wash.
Children of La Ceiba, Honduras washing hands.
This post was inspired by the Weekly Photo Challenge: Companionable. To see more entries click here.
Lovely photos…as always! I’m sure those children were as tickled to meet you as you were to meet them. Look forward to seeing where your travels take you to next!
Thanks JoAnna! Hope you are doing well! For now, I’m staying in this country with travels to northern Minnesota tomorrow, Virginia and Chicago.
Absolutely beautiful! The best on this challenge yet. Thank you for highlighting these children. I’m going to Antigua in August to do mission work at an orphanage.
Thank you so much! 🙂 How wonderful about Antigua! I loved it there. I have written a lot of posts about it as I found it so incredibly beautiful. Good luck! 🙂
Beautiful! The resiliency of children, in the most impoverished circumstances never ceases to amaze and blast open the heart! Thanks!
I marvel at your beautiful photos. Perfect weekly challenge…and those smiles…oh those smiles.
Beautiful all the pictures but the children walking in Antigua is a great one!
Beautiful photos, Nicole. And this exudes companionship!
Beautiful!
janet
Beautiful portraits
The photos are lovely, the theme is perfect, the first photo is priceless. Really well done!
Thanks Tina! My heart always aches for children! 🙂
Stunning shots, as always. I love the one of the children walking in Antigua. My images of children always turn out to be my favorites as well. There’s something so innocent and promising in all of there faces, no matter where in the world they live. Hope you made it back safely from India, and that you loved every minute of it! I’m going to get caught up now…
Hi Jessica! Where are you these days? I can’t remember if you came back to the states to study (I think you did). Yes, as a mom I’m a sucker for the kids but they are so lovely and full of hope. They aren’t tarnished (yet) and full of innocence and love.
I am back in The States (good memory ;-), and I’m just catching up with family and friends in Oregon until I move to Colorado for school in August. I’m excited for the change already! I’m loving all your India posts.
I just knew that your post would be about children, Nicole. What gorgeous pics for the challenge. Perfect. 🙂
Thanks so much! Of course! You know me too well! 🙂
Good read
Thanks!
The best teachers of optimism, kindness, frienship, love and equality are children. Everytime I see my son approach, play and bond with other kids, he and his friends reminds me that there is goodness in all no matter what the media says.
So true! Wonderful words.
Great photos. The more I travel the more I realize all of us are the same.
Me too! Thanks…
Such beautiful smiling faces. 🙂
Yes, aren’t they wonderful?!
You’ve captured some beautiful faces and beautiful moments, Nicole!!!