Working at the Tea Shop Stand - A 16 Year Old Self-Employed Rural Bangladeshi

In my latest trip to Madhupur, I meet some kids who were forced to choose between having food on the table or getting an education. These kids, some as young as eight years old, have to work full-time. They are able to study part-time (two hours a day) because some local community members got together and made a informal school for them to attend for free. They are taught Bengali, English, and math by a school teacher who gets paid a mere $15 a month as a salary.

This photo is of Johnny - a 16 year old boy who dropped out of school in order to earn a living. He is one of the students at the part-time school I mentioned. He owns and runs this tea shop. This photo is of him working at his stand. He's refilling a tray of water which he uses to wash the cups of tea when they are done as well as to wash down the counter.

This photo is a supplement to a video I have on YouTube. You can check that video out here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9IS-3Z5EC4