Trio Afghan Siblings: Breadwinners of 12-member Family

Rueid (R) and his brother Naweed repair a flat tyre at their roadside workshop in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on January 22, 2008. [Xinhua]

The 12-year-old boy Rueid, his 11-year-old brother Naweed and their 9-year-old sister Asma are three common Afghan children as well as the breadwinners of a 12-member family in Kabul.

The trio siblings spend their childhood in a mechanic shop repairing car tyres to earn meager money. Rueid, who studies in the 5th grade, said that they could earn 100 Afghanis to 150 Afghanis (US$2 to US$3) daily.

To sustain lives, the siblings often eat the food dumped by policemen stationed in the nearby checkpoint. Asma replaced her elder sister Sadia since in Afghan, the tradition prevents young girls and women from going out of home for work.

Talking about their ordeal, Rueid said that sometimes he and his brother cannot go to school on time, so the teachers often punish them. The impoverished economy and protracted illness of his father forced the siblings to give up childish time for meager money in order to feed their poor family.

Rueid yearns for a peaceful and stable life in the future, as he says, "Our future depends on lasting peace in our country."