Reporters' Memorable Stories

Anderson soon learned that things can change rapidly in drought-scarred Niger...and not usually for the better. Just hours after he first met them, Aminu still seemed to be doing okay, Rashidu was in septic shock and Habu had died.

"On the bed, Habu's cup and bowl are all that remain," Anderson reported. "His mother lives more than a hundred miles away and is already returning home. She left Habu behind, buried in an unmarked grave somewhere on the outskirts of town."

And, just hours later, Aminu—who seemed to be somewhat stable—also died.

The tragedy of this is that it's not even uncommon. "I talked to Aminu's grandmother, who has lost half of her grandchildren," Anderson says. "She can't even remember a lot of their names."