There Is Much To Do

When temperatures rise above 45°C, all one wants to do is sit in the shade and wait for the evening, when things cool down a little. But there's not time. The harvest season has begun and there’s much to do: bread must be baked, buildings must be built, heads needs to be shaved, water must be collected and carpets washed. Brick factories are running at full capacity and flour mills are churning out flour. Despite the intense heat, cotton has to be packed and dispatched to waiting customers. Goats and sheep have to be slaughtered and meat has to be cut. Carpets are woven and chickpeas must be roasted. Here, in northern Afghanistan, the land is as harsh as the lives of the people who depend upon it. There is no electricity or running water, the houses are made of mud, water is pumped from wells and the roads are paved with rocks, which are broken by hand, with sledgehammers.