When Bill Clinton Hadam's refugee family was approved for resettlement in the U.S., the boy's...
Mary Wiltenburg, for the Pulitzer Center
Emerging from the footpaths of the Kigogo slum, like an ice cream truck, the whistling pedicurist has a big following – and a new customer. (Mary Wiltenburg/copyright Christian Science Monitor)
One of the first things I noticed about Neema John was her toenails.
Bill Clinton Hadam's older sister lives with her 4-year-old son in a Tanzanian slum. She's beautiful, and, like her flower-loving mom, a meticulous housekeeper.
But given her limited means, Neema's elaborate pedicure – pearly pink nails overlaid with a white and black feather pattern – surprised me when we met. I complimented them, and asked where (read: where on earth!?) she got them done. Her neighborhood is packed with muddy fruit stalls, corrugated metal shacks selling cell-phone credit, and barbecue-and-fries stands painted with ads for Safari Lager. The periodic one-stool hair salons are open erratically, due to power cuts. There are definitely not nail salons.
"Oh!" she said, and dashed out of the room. She came back looking crestfallen. "He" had gone for the day.
