Cast in Mud: Child Laborers
of Cairo
Finlay: These three boys spend the day mixing mud. After filling up a hole with water and powder, they jump in and stomp around to create a muddy sludge. They then pack bowls with the mixture and dump out the mud patties. Later, as the mud begins to dry, they will shape them into bricks or tiles and dry them in the refuse-fueled kiln on the left. The black smoke enveloping the boys comes from the burning trash — rubber, glass, rotten clothes, plastic bags — anything that they collect from the dump with a horse and carriage. The smell is overpowering.
Chances that a pregnant woman in the developing world will die or become disabled: one in four
Chances that if she survives childbirth, her child will die by the age of five: one in 10
Chances that if the child survives, he/she will become a child laborer: one in 10 in Asia and one in four in Africa