The Courage of Children: My Life with the World's Poorest Kids

Jeffrey M. Karabanow is a Ph.D. candidate in the Faculty of Social Work
at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Peter Dalglish’s autobiography presents two interrelated stories: we
learn about the world through the eyes of a courageous and spirited
young man; and we are confronted with the horrific experiences of
millions of poor African men, women, and children. Though groomed for
life in the corporate world, Dalglish felt compelled to instead “do
something” about the Ethiopian famine in 1984. After initiating an
impressive food and medicine airlift from Halifax, he soon traded his
new law job for a UN posting in the Sudan. The Courage of Children
recounts his experiences working with several prominent international
aid agencies. We meet many of the author’s heroes, primarily those
“in the trenches”—the pilots, truck drivers, and frontline relief
workers. However, Dalglish’s admiration is strongest for those being
“helped”; he highlights their resiliency and courage in the face of
immense disaster and horror.

In contrast, many of the large bureaucratic aid agencies are condemned
for failing to render proper needs assessments, neglecting to include
local participation in relief projects, and ignoring isolated areas
where suffering was most acute. While stationed in Khartoum, Dalglish
focused his attention on the increasing numbers of children left
destitute by Sudan’s famine, drought, and civil war. Street Kids
International, a grassroots social-action enterprise with a mandate to
support street children around the world, was born from his experiences
in Sudan.

Dalglish leaves his readers with a strong message: “I learned never
to place my faith in institutions, but instead to believe in people—no
matter how young or poor.” The Courage of Children is a call to action
for anyone who has ever dreamt of working in the field of international
development.