In Likoni, Kenya men with picks toil all day in the hot sun to cut bricks for construction from a quarry. On a good day, they can cut 30 stones in six hours of chiseling rock and breathing white dust. Paid 10 schillings per brick, they may earn 300 schillings a day, or $3.75. Some men were local, others told me they traveled from 2,000 km away -- it was the only work they could find to feed their families. I was warned not to go to the quarry,especially not alone. The labyrinth of rock...
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In Likoni, Kenya men with picks toil all day in the hot sun to cut bricks for construction from a quarry. On a good day, they can cut 30 stones in six hours of chiseling rock and breathing white dust. Paid 10 schillings per brick, they may earn 300 schillings a day, or $3.75. Some men were local, others told me they traveled from 2,000 km away -- it was the only work they could find to feed their families. I was warned not to go to the quarry,especially not alone. The labyrinth of rock was said to be a dangerous place with no security or protection. But I found the men welcoming, warm, and humble. Several invited me to visit their homes far away. They seemed proud of their physical labor, and their capacity for enduring grueling work. And each visit, one of them offered to accompany and look out for me.
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