(Hamed Barchian / NVP Images)
Hamed Barchian, NVP Images
The Mask Company
This mask production workshop is located in an industrial area 15 km away from the city of Gorgan, in the north of Iran. Originally a manufacturer of fabric covers, the workshop suffered severe damage due to last year’s floods, and declared bankruptcy. But with the Coronavirus outbreak, it reopened and is now capable of producing 140,000 sanitary masks a day. Six women have been hired specifically for this task.
آمار لحظه ای بیماری کرونا در ایران Last Update on: دسامبر 11, 2024 at 12:32 ب.ظ
The workshop manager says that if a second wave of the pandemic comes to Iran, the workshop will be ready to produce 400,000 masks a day, but only if they are provided with the raw materials, which are often imported. These essential workers have no personal or employment insurance to cover them if they stop working. Most of them are the sole breadwinners of their families, and therefore have no choice, but to keep working, regardless of the severe risk of being exposed to the Coronavirus or of transferring it to their loved ones.
Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian / NVP Images
– (2020 Grant recipients of Pulitzer Center)
Gorgan, Iran – May 2020. 26-year old Mojgan, 30-year old Zahra, and 27-year old Fatemeh are working in a small mask production workshop in an industrial region 15 km from Gorgan in north of Iran. Each of them had different jobs in other industries such as carton packaging, disposable plastic container and even as a cook in industrial kitchen. 3 months ago, and due to a coronavirus pandemic, all of them got laid off and had to spend sometimes at home. As a breadwinner they had no other choices rather than finding another job.
Luckily, they had a chance to be hired at this mask factory. This workshop, which is originally a manufacturer of fabric covers, suffered severe damage due to last year flood in northern Iran and declared bankruptcy. But with the outbreak of coronavirus, it was reopened and able to produce 140,000 sanitary masks a day, employing six women who had been fired particularly because of the pandemic.
The workshop manager says that if the second wave of pandemic comes to Iran, they will be ready to produce 400,000 masks a day, if they are provided with the raw materials, which are often imported. (Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian / NVP Images)
Gorgan, Iran – May 2020. 30-year old Zahra has a high school diploma and is a day laborer in the mask production workshop. She used to work in a kitchen until early March, when the restaurant was closed due to coronavirus pandemic and she was laid off while she had 2 years of experience there. But then she started working in the mask production workshop. In these 3 months that she has been working in her new job, she has spent only the first day of Nowruz at home, and apart from that, she has spent all her normal days and holidays at work. “Although I work two shifts of 12 hours a day, I prefer it to the restaurant,” she said.
This mask production workshop is located in an industrial region, 15 km from the city of Gorgan in north of Iran. This workshop, which is originally a manufacturer of fabric covers, suffered severe damage due to last year flood in northern Iran and declared bankruptcy. But with the outbreak of coronavirus, it was reopened and able to produce 140,000 sanitary masks a day, employing six women who had been fired particularly because of the pandemic.
The workshop manager says that if the second wave of pandemic comes to Iran, they will be ready to produce 400,000 masks a day, if they are provided with the raw materials, which are often imported. (Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images)
AqQala, Iran – Jun 2020. Mojgan, 26, is a daily-paid worker at a workshop producing masks. Until the beginning of March, she had been working at a packing factory closed due to coronavirus outbreak and she was fired consequently, though got a one-year experience in the field. And after that, she could fortunately find a job as a worker at a workshop producing masks. During these three months that has been working at this workshop, she has only rested at home for a day, which was the second day of the Eid-e Nowruz, a two-week Iranian holiday, and except for that day has been working all the other days including the regular rest days. “I hope coronavirus lasts longer so that I could work at this workshop for longer,” said she as a joke. Her daily earnings are as low as a dollar per day and she is not offered health insurance. “Due to economic sanctions against Iran and coronavirus outbreak, I am currently and badly experiencing a rough financially time and even not hoping for getting married,” she added.
This mask production workshop is located in an industrial region, 15 km from the city of Gorgan in north of Iran. This workshop, which is originally a manufacturer of fabric covers, suffered severe damage due to last year flood in northern Iran and declared bankruptcy. But with the outbreak of coronavirus, it was reopened and able to produce 140,000 sanitary masks a day, employing six women who had been fired particularly because of the pandemic.
The workshop manager says that if the second wave of pandemic comes to Iran, they will be ready to produce 400,000 masks a day, if they are provided with the raw materials, which are often imported. ( Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images
Gorgan, Iran – May 2020. 26-year old Mojgan, 30-year old Zahra, and 27-year old Fatemeh are working in a small mask production workshop in an industrial region 15 km from Gorgan in north of Iran. Each of them had different jobs in other industries such as carton packaging, disposable plastic container and even as a cook in industrial kitchen. 3 months ago, and due to a coronavirus pandemic, all of them got laid off and had to spend sometimes at home. As a breadwinner they had no other choices rather than finding another job.
Luckily, they had a chance to be hired at this mask factory. This workshop, which is originally a manufacturer of fabric covers, suffered severe damage due to last year flood in northern Iran and declared bankruptcy. But with the outbreak of coronavirus, it was reopened and able to produce 140,000 sanitary masks a day, employing six women who had been fired particularly because of the pandemic.
The workshop manager says that if the second wave of pandemic comes to Iran, they will be ready to produce 400,000 masks a day, if they are provided with the raw materials, which are often imported. (Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian / NVP Images)
AqQala, Iran – Jun 2020. Zahra, 30, left education after getting a high school diploma, is a daily-paid worker at a workshop producing masks. Until the beginning of March, she had been working at a restaurant in a kitchen and though got a two-year experience in the field, she was fired as well as some other co-workers of hers after the restaurant closed due to coronavirus outbreak. Since then she has been working at a workshop producing masks. She, who is married and a mother of two, declared that her husband is a construction worker, who has been out work for more than two months and could not make any money as a result. It has been three months that she has started her new job, during which she has only had one day off, the first day of the Eid-e Nowruz, a two-week holiday and apart from not working that day, she has been on duty even on the regular rest days. “Although working two shifts and as long as twelve hours a day, I prefer working here over at the restaurant,” she said.
This mask production workshop is located in an industrial region, 15 km from the city of Gorgan in north of Iran. This workshop, which is originally a manufacturer of fabric covers, suffered severe damage due to last year flood in northern Iran and declared bankruptcy. But with the outbreak of coronavirus, it was reopened and able to produce 140,000 sanitary masks a day, employing six women who had been fired particularly because of the pandemic.
The workshop manager says that if the second wave of pandemic comes to Iran, they will be ready to produce 400,000 masks a day, if they are provided with the raw materials, which are often imported. ( Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images
Gorgan, Iran – May 2020. 50-year old Tahereh, is a day laborer in the mask production workshop. She used to work in a cloth bag workshop for five years until early March, when the workshop was closed due to the pandemic and she was laid off. As a breadwinner she had no choice but to find another job. Therefore, in less than 10 days, she started working in a mask production workshop.
In these 3 months that she has been working in her new job, she got only one day off to celebrate the Iranian new year at home (March 19), and apart from that, she has spent all her normal days and holidays at work.
This mask production workshop is located in an industrial region, 15 km from the city of Gorgan in north of Iran. This workshop, which is originally a manufacturer of fabric covers, suffered severe damage due to last year flood in northern Iran and declared bankruptcy. But with the outbreak of coronavirus, it was reopened and able to produce 140,000 sanitary masks a day, employing six women who had been fired particularly because of the pandemic.
The workshop manager says that if the second wave of pandemic comes to Iran, they will be ready to produce 400,000 masks a day, if they are provided with the raw materials, which are often imported. (Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images)
AqQala, Iran – Jun 2020. Zahra, 30, left education after getting a high school diploma, is a daily-paid worker at a workshop producing masks. Until the beginning of March, she had been working at a restaurant in a kitchen and though got a two-year experience in the field, she was fired as well as some other co-workers of hers after the restaurant closed due to coronavirus outbreak. Since then she has been working at a workshop producing masks. She, who is married and a mother of two, declared that her husband is a construction worker, who has been out work for more than two months and could not make any money as a result. It has been three months that she has started her new job, during which she has only had one day off, the first day of the Eid-e Nowruz, a two-week holiday and apart from not working that day, she has been on duty even on the regular rest days. “Although working two shifts and as long as twelve hours a day, I prefer working here over at the restaurant,” she said.
This mask production workshop is located in an industrial region, 15 km from the city of Gorgan in north of Iran. This workshop, which is originally a manufacturer of fabric covers, suffered severe damage due to last year flood in northern Iran and declared bankruptcy. But with the outbreak of coronavirus, it was reopened and able to produce 140,000 sanitary masks a day, employing six women who had been fired particularly because of the pandemic.
The workshop manager says that if the second wave of pandemic comes to Iran, they will be ready to produce 400,000 masks a day, if they are provided with the raw materials, which are often imported. ( Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images
This mask production workshop is located in an industrial region, 15 km from the city of Gorgan in north of Iran. This workshop, which is originally a manufacturer of fabric covers, suffered severe damage due to last year flood in northern Iran and declared bankruptcy. But with the outbreak of coronavirus, it was reopened and able to produce 140,000 sanitary masks a day, employing six women who had been fired particularly because of the pandemic.
The workshop manager says that if the second wave of pandemic comes to Iran, they will be ready to produce 400,000 masks a day, if they are provided with the raw materials, which are often imported. (Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images)
AqQala, Iran – Jun 2020. Zahra, 30, left education after getting a high school diploma, is a daily-paid worker at a workshop producing masks. Until the beginning of March, she had been working at a restaurant in a kitchen and though got a two-year experience in the field, she was fired as well as some other co-workers of hers after the restaurant closed due to coronavirus outbreak. Since then she has been working at a workshop producing masks. She, who is married and a mother of two, declared that her husband is a construction worker, who has been out work for more than two months and could not make any money as a result. It has been three months that she has started her new job, during which she has only had one day off, the first day of the Eid-e Nowruz, a two-week holiday and apart from not working that day, she has been on duty even on the regular rest days. “Although working two shifts and as long as twelve hours a day, I prefer working here over at the restaurant,” she said.
This mask production workshop is located in an industrial region, 15 km from the city of Gorgan in north of Iran. This workshop, which is originally a manufacturer of fabric covers, suffered severe damage due to last year flood in northern Iran and declared bankruptcy. But with the outbreak of coronavirus, it was reopened and able to produce 140,000 sanitary masks a day, employing six women who had been fired particularly because of the pandemic.
The workshop manager says that if the second wave of pandemic comes to Iran, they will be ready to produce 400,000 masks a day, if they are provided with the raw materials, which are often imported. ( Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images
This mask production workshop is located in an industrial region, 15 km from the city of Gorgan in north of Iran. This workshop, which is originally a manufacturer of fabric covers, suffered severe damage due to last year flood in northern Iran and declared bankruptcy. But with the outbreak of coronavirus, it was reopened and able to produce 140,000 sanitary masks a day, employing six women who had been fired particularly because of the pandemic.
The workshop manager says that if the second wave of pandemic comes to Iran, they will be ready to produce 400,000 masks a day, if they are provided with the raw materials, which are often imported. (Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images)
AqQala, Iran – Jun 2020. Fatemeh, 27, is a daily-paid worker at this mask-producing workshop. Before coronavirus outbreak, she had been working at a factory producing disposable dishes closed down owing to coronavirus pandemic and she got fired as a direct consequence of that, after a year of working there. Following getting fired from that factory, she got hired by this workshop at which since the starting day, she has been working here even on the regular rest days without a break except for only one day, the second day of the Eid-e Nowruz, a two-week Iranian holiday. “In less than an hour past my getting fired from that factory, I was offered this job at the workshop which indeed was a complete gift from God. I exited the factory door, took some steps forward, and then entered through the door of this workshop,” she said.
This mask production workshop is located in an industrial region, 15 km from the city of Gorgan in north of Iran. This workshop, which is originally a manufacturer of fabric covers, suffered severe damage due to last year flood in northern Iran and declared bankruptcy. But with the outbreak of coronavirus, it was reopened and able to produce 140,000 sanitary masks a day, employing six women who had been fired particularly because of the pandemic.
The workshop manager says that if the second wave of pandemic comes to Iran, they will be ready to produce 400,000 masks a day, if they are provided with the raw materials, which are often imported. ( Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images
AqQala, Iran – Jun 2020. Fatemeh, 27, is a daily-paid worker at this mask-producing workshop. Before coronavirus outbreak, she had been working at a factory producing disposable dishes closed down owing to coronavirus pandemic and she got fired as a direct consequence of that, after a year of working there. Following getting fired from that factory, she got hired by this workshop at which since the starting day, she has been working here even on the regular rest days without a break except for only one day, the second day of the Eid-e Nowruz, a two-week Iranian holiday. “In less than an hour past my getting fired from that factory, I was offered this job at the workshop which indeed was a complete gift from God. I exited the factory door, took some steps forward, and then entered through the door of this workshop,” she said.
This mask production workshop is located in an industrial region, 15 km from the city of Gorgan in north of Iran. This workshop, which is originally a manufacturer of fabric covers, suffered severe damage due to last year flood in northern Iran and declared bankruptcy. But with the outbreak of coronavirus, it was reopened and able to produce 140,000 sanitary masks a day, employing six women who had been fired particularly because of the pandemic.
The workshop manager says that if the second wave of pandemic comes to Iran, they will be ready to produce 400,000 masks a day, if they are provided with the raw materials, which are often imported. ( Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images
Gorgan, Iran – May 2020. 50-year old Tahereh, is a day laborer in the mask production workshop. She used to work in a cloth bag workshop for five years until early March, when the workshop was closed due to the pandemic and she was laid off. As a breadwinner she had no choice but to find another job. Therefore, in less than 10 days, she started working in a mask production workshop.
In these 3 months that she has been working in her new job, she got only one day off to celebrate the Iranian new year at home (March 19), and apart from that, she has spent all her normal days and holidays at work.
This mask production workshop is located in an industrial region, 15 km from the city of Gorgan in north of Iran. This workshop, which is originally a manufacturer of fabric covers, suffered severe damage due to last year flood in northern Iran and declared bankruptcy. But with the outbreak of coronavirus, it was reopened and able to produce 140,000 sanitary masks a day, employing six women who had been fired particularly because of the pandemic.
The workshop manager says that if the second wave of pandemic comes to Iran, they will be ready to produce 400,000 masks a day, if they are provided with the raw materials, which are often imported. (Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images)
AqQala, Iran – Jun 2020. Fatemeh, 27, is a daily-paid worker at this mask-producing workshop. Before coronavirus outbreak, she had been working at a factory producing disposable dishes closed down owing to coronavirus pandemic and she got fired as a direct consequence of that, after a year of working there. Following getting fired from that factory, she got hired by this workshop at which since the starting day, she has been working here even on the regular rest days without a break except for only one day, the second day of the Eid-e Nowruz, a two-week Iranian holiday. “In less than an hour past my getting fired from that factory, I was offered this job at the workshop which indeed was a complete gift from God. I exited the factory door, took some steps forward, and then entered through the door of this workshop,” she said.
This mask production workshop is located in an industrial region, 15 km from the city of Gorgan in north of Iran. This workshop, which is originally a manufacturer of fabric covers, suffered severe damage due to last year flood in northern Iran and declared bankruptcy. But with the outbreak of coronavirus, it was reopened and able to produce 140,000 sanitary masks a day, employing six women who had been fired particularly because of the pandemic.
The workshop manager says that if the second wave of pandemic comes to Iran, they will be ready to produce 400,000 masks a day, if they are provided with the raw materials, which are often imported. ( Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images
AqQala, Iran – Jun 2020. Mojgan, 26, is a daily-paid worker at a workshop producing masks. Until the beginning of March, she had been working at a packing factory closed due to coronavirus outbreak and she was fired consequently, though got a one-year experience in the field. And after that, she could fortunately find a job as a worker at a workshop producing masks. During these three months that has been working at this workshop, she has only rested at home for a day, which was the second day of the Eid-e Nowruz, a two-week Iranian holiday, and except for that day has been working all the other days including the regular rest days. “I hope coronavirus lasts longer so that I could work at this workshop for longer,” said she as a joke. Her daily earnings are as low as a dollar per day and she is not offered health insurance. “Due to economic sanctions against Iran and coronavirus outbreak, I am currently and badly experiencing a rough financially time and even not hoping for getting married,” she added.
This mask production workshop is located in an industrial region, 15 km from the city of Gorgan in north of Iran. This workshop, which is originally a manufacturer of fabric covers, suffered severe damage due to last year flood in northern Iran and declared bankruptcy. But with the outbreak of coronavirus, it was reopened and able to produce 140,000 sanitary masks a day, employing six women who had been fired particularly because of the pandemic.
The workshop manager says that if the second wave of pandemic comes to Iran, they will be ready to produce 400,000 masks a day, if they are provided with the raw materials, which are often imported. ( Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images