Tharcisse's parents were an easy target. Unscrupulous traditional "healers"—of whom there are many in Burundi, one of Africa's poorest nations—knew that their medicines would do nothing to heal Tharcisse's atrophied legs. That didn't stop them, however, from promising his desperate parents that they could cure their precious baby—for a price. Full of hope, they sold their only asset—a small plot of farmland—to pay for his costly treatments. When that money was exhausted, their infant son was no better.

Don't let his disability fool you. Although born with a disfigured back and right hand, Ildephonse Bigrimana of East Africa didn't let his handicap hinder him from sinning. He cared for no one other than himself, and his selfishness culminated with his discovery of his girlfriend's pregnancy. Disowned by her disgraced family and fired from her job in their rural town in Burundi, she turned to the man whom she thought loved her. He also turned. He turned his back on her and their unborn child—and ran.