Larry Louie

Dhaka, Bangladesh has a huge population of 14 million with over 300,000 migrants arriving annually. But without adequate infrastructure to support the high levels of urban population growth, over 40% of the population in Dhaka are forced to live in informal settlements, public places or urban slums. This means of the 14 million people estimated living in Dhaka, over 5 million do not have a home or are consider a floating population. Along with this urban growth, the prevalence of child labor has also become a serious problem. It is estimated that 13.4% of the total work force in the country (4.9 million) are children between the ages of 5-15. Some are orphans growing up on the streets while others are forced to work due the economic hardships of their family. 40% of the 166 million people in Bangladesh make less than $1 a day and spend 80% of that income on food. With the rising cost of fuel and food prices, more and more children will be forced to work to help support their family and put food on the table. These images are a testament to the difficult daily lives of everyday normal working people of Dhaka, Bangladesh.