Africa is not a country it is a vast continent made up of fifty-four nations If you took the land of the United States and added it to the lands of China Japan and Europe Africa would still be bigger From the tiny island nations of Comoros Seychelles and São Tomé and Príncipe to its largest country Algeria Africa is the only continent with land in all four hemispheres Unlike any other continent it is divided into two almost equal lengths by the equator and it is nearly as wide as it is long If you drew a picture of Africa’s landscapes on a large pie and cut it into ten equal pieces only one piece would contain all of its rain forests Four pieces would represent the deserts another four would be mostly grass farmland and trees The final piece would hold all the mountains and cities of this beautiful vibrant continent where several hundred million children wake up every morning
The sun is just rising as Arim and Efrem get up to prepare for school They take showers change into school uniforms and comb their hair while listening to children’s programs on the radio After a breakfast of sweet hot tea and bread with butter and marmalade they put on their book bags Their parents gently place their hands on their heads and say May God be with you the whole day The boys kiss their parents hands and respond Yekenielai which means thank you in Tigrinya a widely spoken language in ERITREA Before they walk out of the door with their father who is going to his office in downtown Asmara the boys are reminded by their mother to always respect their teachers and elders
