One of the other important areas that we agreed to show was work, as this is one of the areas identified as a specific problem for disabled people. Adilzhan tries to do what he can to earn money, as he told me: it’s a matter of importance (and not a little pride) for a man to be self-sufficient, particularly in Asian society. He showed me some soaps that he had manufactured with a view to selling them on local craft markets. Continue reading “Adilzhan – fourth visit”
This time when I arrived Adilzhan was hard at work, resoling a pair of boots.
I found Adilzhan working again – this time he was embroidering a tubeteika. He bought the cloth cap readymade, and embroiders it to sell at a profit.
Although I didn’t think any decent images would come from it, I agreed to meet Adilzhan at the day centre where he was rehearsing a dance performance with some of the other disabled people. I wanted to show him that I still believed in him and our getting the project finished.
Adilzhan called me up and said he urgently needed to meet me, so I went over to his place.
After almost a year of procrastinating and putting me off, I finally managed to persuade Adilzhan to show me how he makes soap. He had originally been introduced to me as a budding entrepreneur who was making soap at home and selling it, but this was a little over exaggerated. As Adilzhan pointed out, it is impossible to sell handmade soap commercially, and the amount that can be sold at craft fairs and the like is quite limited. Nevertheless, he is still optimistic that he can earn a little to help out his parents. Continue reading “Adilzhan – ninth visit”
Carl Whetham photography 