I caught a shivering boy stealing bread. As I grabbed his arm, he sobbed, “Please don’t call the police, my brothers are starving and mom hasn’t woken up in two days.” skeptical, I followed him to his rundown apartment. When I pushed the bedroom door open, my heart froze…

and metallic blood hit me first. Then, the sound of weak, mewling cries.

There, on a filthy mattress on the floor, lay a woman. She was emaciated, her skin a ghastly, translucent gray. Beside her on the dirt floor, two infants were wrapped in sodden, freezing cardboard. The little girl was frantically trying to open the formula can with a rusted spoon.continue reading …