Photo Credit:
Wally Santana
 
Photo Caption:
A young Afghan boy waves hello as he follows his family on donkeys from the local water well, Friday, August 2, 2002, in the town of Bamiyan, 160 kilometers (100 miles) east of Kabul. Bamiyan was once a village visited by tourists viewing its three towering Buddhas carved in rock backing the town, but now with a devastated economy, locals barely have enough fresh water and food since the ruling Taliban destroyed the 1,000-year-old statues.
 
Photographer' Note:
 
While traveling in an armed convoy with then U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Robert Finn to visit Bamiyan, Friday, Aug. 2, 2002, we cautiously crept up to pass a group of locals transporting supplies on donkeys. As we got closer, we realized they were children collecting water from a local spring to bring back to their village. As the dust settled from our passing vehicles, I made eye contact with the youngest of the group and he gave me a smile and a wave goodbye, reminding me that even in a country with so much strife, a child can still be a child.