My name is Ni’mat. I am 11 years old, probably. Father said, my name in Arabic means ‘mercy’, and I believe life is merciful. I work in the bazaar of Kabul as shoe polisher. I have extra sandals, so when I polish your shoes, you can wear these sandals. Every time I polish a pair of shoes, I get Af 5. It’s enough to buy one bread. I enjoy my job, it’s a good job. I started this job one year ago. My mother does not work, as a woman she just stays at home. Before, my father was a street worker, but last month he got accident because he stepped on a landmine. So now he stays at home with my mother. I go to school in the morning and works on the streets after my school finishes. In a lucky day, I earns Af 50 (US$ 1). If I don’t need to go to school and work full-time, I should be able to earn more. But I love going to school.
Kabul, Afghanistan, 2007