Babu Hussein works as an assistant in one of Bangladesh's shipbreaking yards, where armies of laborers dismantle huge old vessels with little more than hammers and blowtorches. The work is perilous, the bosses abusive, the hours exhausting. Babu's reward? Just over two dollars a day, and nightmares about being crushed by giant sheets of steel. Pretty heavy stuff for a 13-year-old kid.

Past Stories
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Brandon Davies
Banker
$500K-$750k/year

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Vicki Ponce
Electronic Recycler
$500/month

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Alidad
Human Smuggler
$50/person

-
Hang Nga
Marriage Broker
$1,000/month

-
Svitlana Svystun
Circus Performer
$1,135/week

-
Leandro Carvalho
Labor Inspector
$5,800/month

-
Fidele Musafiri
Miner
$3-$3.5/kg of ore

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Agus Laodi
Pirate
$0-$2,000/operation
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Raffaella Mangiarotti
Industrial Designer
$7,000/month
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Samanta
Sex Worker
$30-$60/client
-
Whyman Richards
Iceberg Wrangler
$200/metric ton of ice
-
Mohmen
Tannery Worker
$68-$88/month
-
Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen
Movie Director
about $10,000/film
-
Hussein Ralib Esfandiari
Dhow Captain
$1,500-3,000/month
-
Wahid Khan Habibula
Cargo Agent
$800/month
-
Chloé Doutre-Roussel
Chocolate Taster
$2,180/day
-
Gordana Jankuloska
Cabinet Minister
$1,400/month
-
Marco Moreno Gonzales
Textile Worker
$840/month
-
Sam Ahmedu
NBA Scout
$1,458/month
-
Romulo Greham
Lobster Diver
$2.64/lobster lb.
-
Blair Ghent
Industrial Mechanic
$6,000/month
-
Chanta Nguon
CEO
$600/month
-
Laowang
Express Mail Driver
$238/month
-
Diana Ivanova Dimova
Pop Singer
$10/night

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Tarek Haidar Eskandar
Fixer
$20-75/day
-
Pedro Córdoba Valdivieso
Metal Worker
$540/month
-
Valdet Dule
Minesweeper
$30/day
Upcoming Story

Salina Kosgei was the 10th and youngest child of poor farmers in the highlands of western Kenya. The family hut had no electricity or plumbing. As a kid, Salina used to run 10 kilometers to school, barefoot, just for the fun of it. Twenty years later, she's still running, not for kicks but for a living. It's been a long slog. Then this year she found herself elbow to elbow with the defending champ in the most prestigious marathon in the world, with the finish line in sight.