“I am from Hyderabad, India. I have been in Bahrain for seven months. I work for a cleaning company, as a street cleaner around Budaiya Highway.
In India, I used to work as a field hand. I got the chance to come to Bahrain through an agent. I work about eight hours a day. There are six of us who live together. A bus comes to pick us up from our quarters in Hidd at about 3.30am. We sweep the streets and clear up rubbish until about 12pm. In fact,we have just finished our work and are waiting for the bus to take us back to our accommodation.
I have three daughters. The eldest is 9 and then the next one is 7 and the youngest is 4. I have a very limited income and try not to spend very much on myself. I spend about BD20 a month on food and a phone cards – I speak to my wife twice a day. I send the rest of my salary back home to my family.
What do I eat? All of us cook together and share food – daal, vegetables, whatever really. I don’t really mind what I eat, as long as my children are eating well. That’s the main thing.”
Special thanks to Art of Living and A Box of Goodness for supplying this gentleman and his fellow workers with food supplies and clothing following the initial publication of this story.
