"I am the only wage earner"
Majnu, age 12

"My name is Majnu. I am 12 years old. My father died of heart disease last year. We live in Sylhet. I am the only son in the family. I am the only wage earner. I have one sister who is six years old. My mother begs from door to door. She gets about 1 to 1.5 kg of rice a day and an average of 15 taka.

I work in this tempo from 7 in the morning until 9 in the evening. I work all day without any rest. I earn 20 taka (40 pence) a day and money for my food.

Every morning I stand on the roadside outside my house until I find a tempo which has a vacancy. I cannot work permanently as a tempo boy because I fall ill frequently. The drivers do not want to employ be on a permanent basis.

I get food from a roadside restaurant. I take my breakfast at around 10am - two pieces of roti, with some vegetables and a cup of tea for 8 taka. I take lunch at about 3pm and dinner when I finish work. For these meals I take a plate of rice, with some fish or skinny chicken or vegetables. These meals cost 10 taka each.

I used to work in a restaurant as a waiter but the manager there beat me and sacked me after I broke a plate. Since then I have been working in the tempo. I don't like this job but I must do it to help support my family. Who else would help me?"