Concy Ajok, left, and Maurine
Uganda

"My son died during the war. He was 5".

Sabina Ladwong and Anena

"We lived without shelter for one year. A lot of people got sick that year and a lot of children died. I was just one of many. We all felt the difficulty. We had no food, very little medical attention. The war made things very difficult".

Betty Oroma and Yububwi

"Both my children died from malaria. I lost a son and daughter. We did not have anything like this clinic".

Mothers who lost children due to malaria soon after a civil conflict ravaged their community, making them internally displaced people, waiting in a newly constructed clinic (built with donations from international agencies) to have their children examined for malaria. A few years ago, while they were fleeing civil unrest, all had at least one child die of malaria.

War zones are hotbeds of malaria. Civil unrest forces people from the relative protection of their homes into hostile environments. They must try to survive while exposed to the elements, with poor sanitation, and in crowded living conditions that create the perfect environment for the spread of disease.

War also hinders a government's ability to allocate resources for the treatment of diseases such as malaria. As a result, the people in these regions are forced to fend for themselves. Or, if they are lucky, gain access to foreign aid; the USAID is responsible for funding the clinic pictured here. While the aid is desperately needed, it can have unexpected and negative effects; the long-term consequences of such social welfare can lead to a generation that only knows charity.