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Ambatolampy, Madagascar

This town is the only place in all of Madagascar where aluminum is smelted and then hand cast into all of the cookware that is used throughout this country. You will see that not only are the people of Madagascar unaware of the health risks of cooking with aluminum, the workers in this town are living in the fumes and touching the ashes all day long.

Aluminum factory conditions
photo 76

Here is a worker doing a casting of a pot by hand in the sand:

Aluminum by hand
photo 77

Very few people in the entire country can afford propane or electricity for heating and cooking. Therefore a very big industry is the production of pieces of charcoal by burning down the trees in the forest. Here is a shop that sells the charcoal:

Boy with charcoal seller
photo 78

Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. Below are some photos of the local shops.

Here is the local rice shop:

Children at rice shop
photo 79

Here is another shop selling potatoes, rice, and dried fish from the local polluted river:

fish, potaties, and rice
photo 80

Here is another shop selling rice and grain:

Rice and grain
photo 81

Here is another shop selling meat:

Meat sellers
photo 82

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