Adampan, Sri Lanka

Kamardheen Sithysameena and Kaleel Ramshiya sow black grain seeds in Adampan, Mannar district, Sri Lanka. Black grain is a profitable option for farmers because Sri Lanka restricts imports of the crop.

Lusaka, Zambia

Ignatius Mwansa paints a molded elephant in Lusaka, Zambia. Mwansa, who has operated his business for five years, says, “I was unemployed for over three years, and I realized I have a talent that I could use to survive. So far, this has helped me look after my family.”

Masvingo, Zimbabwe

Pachawo Mudiwi holds a winnowing basket, which removes chaff from millet, in Bikita, Masvingo, Zimbabwe. Mudiwi takes advantage of a windy day to prepare the family’s harvest for storage.

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Arumugam Tharumaraja makes small earthenware lamps in Thirunelvely, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Tharumaraja says exporting his pottery has been limited due to COVID-19, so he has started making lamps for a lights festival in November.

Chihuahua, Mexico

Noel Romero Sierra, who has been a blacksmith for half of his life, welds a door in Chihuahua, Mexico. Romero says the coronavirus pandemic has not affected his work: “Those of us who’ve kept our jobs are on top of the world.”

Kirumba, DRC

Kavugho Mawazo weaves raffia threads into a mat in Kirumba, Democratic Republic of Congo. These mats, which take up to three weeks to make, are used in burials for members of the Nande community.

Goromonzi, Zimbabwe

Kudakwashe Marimanzi, a member of Zimbabwe’s air force, prepares to lift debris from a helicopter that crashed into a home in Goromonzi, Zimbabwe. The crash killed all three on board and an 18-month-old resident of the home.

Kathmandu, Nepal

Sandeep Lama, Ram Magar and Raj Chhetri, from left, lay underground cables in Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu, Nepal. During the coronavirus lockdowns, workers for the Nepal Electricity Authority take advantage of the quiet streets to improve infrastructure.

Luanshya, Copperbelt Province, Zambia

Abel Mwansa, 13, crushes stone to sell in Luanshya, a town in Copperbelt Province, Zambia. Due to lost income because of the coronavirus pandemic, Mwansa says he has to earn money for his family.

Tecámac, Mexico

Mauricio Ramírez repairs a ring at his shop in Tecámac, Mexico. Ramírez says that although his business was closed for almost four months, he was able to keep operating due to demand for face-mask materials: “What saved me was the fact that I could sell elastic.”

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Juan Baez and José Luis Arribas prepare meat for customers at the Mercado de San Telmo in Buenos Aires, Argentina. “I have been working here for 52 years,” Arribas says. “What I like most about this work is speaking with people. Now I’m waiting on my customers’ grandchildren.”

Luanshya, Copperbelt Province, Zambia

Oswald Mpande makes a reed mat in Luanshya, a town in Copperbelt Province, Zambia. Mpande says Luanshya has few employment opportunities and the mat-making skill he learned from his father has helped him earn a living.

Ndejje, Uganda

Umaru Kakeeto,15, fixes an air compressor machine at a small roadside mechanic shop in Lubugumu, a village in Ndejje, Wakiso district, Uganda. Umaru will train in the shop for three months before enrolling in a vocational school in August.

Erdenet, Orkhon Province, Mongolia

Gantulga Ankhaa, who is temporarily repairing bikes to earn an income, adjusts a bicycle rim in Erdenet city, Orkhon province, Mongolia. Since automobile traffic is suspended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, more people are riding bicycles to work. “Instead of sitting idly at home doing nothing just because the work is suspended,” Gantulga says, “it is important for a young person to keenly observe and be aware of what could be done given the circumstances of any given time, to be able to identify opportunities and to use them properly.”

Tecámac, Mexico

Zury Barrera and Abril García scoop ice cream for customers at the Bro-Vix ice cream shop in Tecámac de Felipe Villanueva, Mexico. The shop was closed for three months last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, and although only eight customers are allowed inside at a time, sales have recently increased.

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Muthiah Kuganeswaran weaves a box made of palm leaves in the Kokkuvil area of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Kuganeswaran, who has been in business for more than 40 years, says there is a labor shortage for making palm boxes, which are used for agricultural and domestic purposes.

Harare, Zimbabwe

Elson Matorofa installs flooring in a building in Harare, Zimbabwe. Matorofa says he hopes the number of coronavirus cases continues to decrease because lockdowns have affected his ability to work.

Kayna, DRC

Jules Muhindo Nzondero removes the hair from a cowhide at a tannery in Kahandabale, a district of Kayna, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nzondero is learning how to tan, which is the process of treating animal hides to produce leather goods.

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Batjargal Choijiljav carves a wooden horse at his home in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Batjargal, who has carved 14,400 wooden horses over his 25-year sculpting career, says a single mistake would be irreversible and make the sculpture worthless.

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Ramalingam Manoharan welds a curved iron roof for a well in Manipay, a town in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Manoharan has worked with iron for the past four years, and he earns between 1,500 and 2,000 Sri Lankan rupees ($8 to $10) per day.

Sancha Maya Limbu cleans the walls of the Bhimsen temple amid reconstruction work at Patan Durbar Square in Lalitpur, Nepal. The temple was destroyed in the April 2015 earthquake. Reconstruction began in 2019 but was temporarily halted in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Erdenet, Orkhon Province, Mongolia

Bilegtsaikhan Pagva makes a cutting board for cooking and kneading dough at his home workshop in Erdenet, a city in Mongolia’s Orkhon province. Bilegtsaikhan, who has stomach cancer, makes wooden kitchen tools as a healthier alternative to plastic. “No matter how serious one’s disease is, a person should not abandon his or her wishes and goals in life,” Bilegtsaikhan says with a smile. “One should work hard.”

Masvingo, Zimbabwe

Freddy Chikwaya and his nieces Rudo Chikwaya, 12, and Mary Chikwaya, 9, warm themselves by a fire as they sell beaded necklaces near Lake Mutirikwi in Masvingo, Zimbabwe. Tourists have been visiting the area less since the coronavirus lockdown began, but Freddy Chikwaya expects things to get better now that the country has started vaccinations.

Harare, Zimbabwe

Innocent Murawa paints the ceiling of a home in Harare, Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe’s recent lockdown restricted many people’s ability to work. But individual contractors like Murawa have managed to find work painting and plastering homes.