Call me Ismail. I’m 15 years old Afghan boy working in the Bazaar-e-Vakil of the southeastern Iranian city of Kerman. My three friends and I work underground, digging holes for septic tanks of public toilets in the old bazaar. I work from 8 am to 5 pm, earning US$15 per day, much higher than average income in Afghanistan. Nothing has changed in our village after the Taliban. No job, no money, I came to Iran illegally after a week of traveling through mountains and deserts. The most serious danger in Iran is the police, as they can sent us back to Afghanistan and take all the little money we have.

Kerman, Iran, 2008