CHILDREN ON THE WATER

From the day they are born Amazon children know that the river is a central part of their life. After giving birth, the mother goes to the river's edge and bathes her new-born in the water. For the growing child the river provides food, is used to get around and can be fun!

As soon as they are old enough to walk, children learn how to paddle a canoe. By the age of five or six, most girls and boys can maneuver their little vessels as proficiently as the adults. Then off they paddle to school, to see friends or just to explore.

The world over, water offers children an endless source of fun. Here, the kids happily leap from the canoe into the warm water, clamber back in and then jump in again.