ENLIGHTEN ME PLEASE!

I don't just want to assume that I know what the people in Africa are feeling regarding their situations in life. I would be extremely sad if I lived the way they lived. All the time I would be sad. But it seems like I am minimizing our God by assuming that these people here have no joy... ever! That He only gave me a life, or the people who live in countries that don't suffer from extreme poverty and AIDS, a life worth living and full of happiness and joy. They have to have SOME good in their lives and I want to know what it is. I want to try and understand what makes a mother here want to wake up in the morning and LIVE for the sake of her other children who are not going to die. Or the other way around... a child who can still be a child in spite of having to take on the responsibilities of an adult and care for their younger siblings and provide for them. I KNOW that God has given them something that I can not understand. Something GOOD. Is it HIM? I know the Bible say that we are not to look to earthly things to fulfill us, that we are to look to Him for all of our needs. So is it possible that when you take away all of the STUFF that we are handed and all of the THINGS we fill ourselves up with, that when you are left with ONLY GOD to turn to, that you experience complete joy? I know our God is providing SOMETHING for the people here in spite of all of the ugliness I seem to be seeing. When you are here, it seems hard to see or remember things outside of here. If any of you have any scripture or idea's that can help me, please comment me and enlighten me!