Young Batonka Girl Cutting Spinach, Gokwe North, Zimbabwe Editorial Image

This young girl belongs to the Batonka tribe who originally straddled the Zambezi River in both Zimbabwe & Zambia during the British colonial era. The Batonka were a tribe who relied heavily on subsistence fishing on the Zambezi River. When man-made Lake Kariba was built circa 1958/63 the entire tribe was relocated inland to the south and north, away from the rising lake waters. Many of them still eke out an existence by fishing on Lake Kariba, however, a lot of them live in poverty in the rural areas of the Zambezi Valley escarpment. Sadly, few benefit from any form of formal education. Typically, young girls help their mothers work in the fields and prepare meals. This youngster was this young girl was cutting spinach for lunch.