An American white woman (and an Australian white woman) photographing African children!
This is from volume 1 of the two volume set, African Ceremonies by Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher:
On festive occasions, Surman children from Ethiopia decorate their bodies using chalk and earth pigments to create fanciful patterns. The youngsters begin learning the art of body painting at an early age by imitating their parents. Possessing little in the way of material culture, the Surma paint themselves as their prime means of artistic expression.
Imaginations run wild as they turn their own bodies into works of art, incorporating the human figure, the face of a cow, and for young girls, the mature breasts of their older sisters. To reveal their close bond to one another, best friends often paint their faces with identical designs.
Yes, the photographers did give something back:
… We have looked for appropriate ways to reciprocate the support given to us by the communities we lives among. For the Wodaabe we have funded the digging of wells to bring water to their dry Sahel home; in Kenya we helped to set up the first all-Maasai school. The Tuareg in Niger have eased their struggle for survival during the dry season through craft initiatives that we helped them to establish. And in Ethiopia we set up a basketry and weaving project for women in relief camps, so they could support their children and survive the worst of the famine. We have seen how much Africa has suffered in the past from people coming to extract resources without reciprocation. As a gesture of appreciation, a portion of the royalties from this book will go to assist communities we have photographed.
-Julie
Coloring 
Admirable. But, I would say, there is a great difference between these smiling children who think they are being photographed because of the artwork on their bodies and the two bedraggled children of the first post. Children like to display their artwork, probably because it sets them out as unique. This is a far cry from the two urchins who are just two more of the suffering masses. Maybe I’m reading too much into it.
Comment by Dr. C. — November 4, 2009 @ 6:05 pm