Hamada Elrasam
Photographer
Visual Storyteller

In the upper Egyptian province of Minya farming land is limited because of the lime nature of the land and mountains. Most of the residents find working opportunities in lime quarries in Minya, Egypt. Monday, April 30, 2018. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Majority of the male residents of the eastern Minya villages work in lime stone quarries as daily paid workers without enough training and no contracts or insurance in Minya, Egypt. Monday, April 30, 2018. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Bumpy weather of Egypt affects the industry, mild wind is the best weather condition for the workers to properly do their job, but factory owners care more about the production amount in Minya, Egypt. Monday, April 30, 2018. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Stone cutting machines are local made without safety standards, and majority of the workers aren’t well trained to use them, they learn from elder workers in the field in Minya, Egypt. Monday, April 30, 2018. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Without safety gears the workers are required to work exposing their lives, respiratory systems and limbs to danger while there is no contract or insurance for the expected accidents, in Minya, Egypt. Monday, April 30, 2018. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Lime stone quarries’ workers are required to fix the local made stone cutting machines themselves and sharpen it’s swards. The cutting machine’ swards are more likely to randomly release if it hits a hard stone, in sometimes it reflected in accidents, many workers received life threatening injuries while some others died. In Minya, Egypt. April 30, 2018. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Workers loads a truck with limestones, limestone products are used in real-estate building, as ancient Egyptian first used it in building the Great Pyramids as well as other industries depends on the calcium levels in the lime stones. In Menya, Egypt. Monday, April 30, 2018. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Workers of Lime stones quarry wash after a hard day at work in Minya, Egypt. Monday, April 30, 2018. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Reda Kamel, a 23 years young man, who have been working in lime stones mines for 8 years, he says “I was working with the cutting machine and when I was trying to manage it, it went out of my control, I fail down between the railways and I wasn’t fast enough to rescue myself, the swards hit my leg and my other feat, my colleagues took me to the hospital and I got a surgery and screws, now the screws are still in my leg and I need another surgery to remove them, but I can’t pay for this now.” In Minya, Egypt. Sunday, April 29, 2018. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Reda shows an X-Ray of the medical screws in his leg, he says “I can’t work everyday, but the work I do should be simple, my hard times are in the winter when I feel the pain of the screws in my bones.” In Minya, Egypt. Sunday, April 29, 2018. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Reda poses for a portrait with his family from the left “Reda, his sister, his wife holding his daughter, his mother and his brother,” Reda says “I’m responsible for my wife and my daughter as well as my sick sister and old mother. The income of me and my brother is not enough for the family expenses.” In Menya, Egypt. Sunday, April 29, 2018. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Baskhyron Thabet, 20 years young man, shows his lost hand while he is telling the story of his accident, he says “I was injured when I was 12 years old, with few months of experience in the work. I was removing the bricks from the way of the swards, I was very close to the machine and swards hit my feat first, I tried to assist with my hands but it took my palm, I fainted and I don’t know what happened after!” In Minya, Egypt. Sunday, April 29, 2018. (H. Elrasam/VOA)