Statement:
- (2020 Grant recipients of Pulitzer Center)
Roghayeh, a 65 year-old woman, is practicing an Islamic ritual at her sister's house during the Night Of Ahya (Night of Decree) while trying to maintain social distancing. "There is an Islamic belief that during three nights of the holy month of Ramadan, the Quran was revealed to the prophet Muhammad,” she says “This night comes with blessings and the mercy of God in abundance; sins are forgiven, and supplications are accepted." Instead of attending mass at the mosque during the COVID-19 outbreak, Roghayeh and her sisters honour the night by placing the Quran over their heads and watching the remote ceremony on TV. The economic situation of Iran during the past four decades left Roghayeh no choice but to become one of the breadwinners of her family. In the early years, she made money by sewing. But in the past 15 years, she became a small importer of women's clothing from Turkey.
During her last trip to Turkey, the border between Iran and Turkey was closed due to the pandemic. Her merchandise remained on the other side of the border, and even after two months of hassle, she still hasn’t been able to get the goods delivered to her small shop in the city of Tabriz. Despite the quarantine days in Iran, Roghayeh kept her shop open to be able to manage her economic conditions and pay the installments of her bank loans and rent.
It has been two years since her husband died of cancer. The cost of cancer treatment and the cost of funeral ceremonies in Iran are high enough to cause any average family great economic hardship. Roghayeh has not been able to get rid of the debts that were imposed on her in those days. "If things get better, if Coronavirus doesn't come back, if the borders are reopened, and if I get rid of all my debts, I won't work anymore, and I will manage my life with my husband's pension," Roghayeh said. She added: "When I think about my past, I see I've never had a chance to think about my dreams. I've always been working and running. My life has been ruined on buses, behind sewing machines and waiting at the border. I don't know, maybe that is life. Now that things are getting better in my life, I'm not in the mood for anything. Maybe the love of my children and grandchildren has kept me going."
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- Tabriz, Iran, April 15th 2020. Ms. Roghayeh is 65 years old. She is going to her shop while having a mask on her face. She has been importing Turkish women cloths for sale for many years. But, in her last trip, the borders between Iran and Turkey closed due to outbreak of COVID-19 and her goods stayed at Turkey. In spite of quarantine period in Iran, she has to open her shop to be able to pay the bank loans and renting costs. (Photo by Jalal Shamsazaran / NVP)
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- Tabriz, Iran – June 2020th . Roghayeh is 65 years old. She is praying on the grave of her relatives while having a mask on her face . Iran is amongst five of the countries with the highest spread of COVID-19. Iran’s government began an official lockdown on March 15th, 2020, the quarantines in place are for those who do not exhibit symptoms but have been exposed to the illness. For the large number of Iranians who live on a day by day income, staying home, means having no money to pay for essential things such as food. Therefore, they must take their life in their own hands and work in order to survive even at the risk of getting infected, spreading the virus in society at large, and even getting fined for breaking the quarantine. For them, choosing either path has extreme consequences. (Photo by Jalal Shamsazaran / NVP)
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- Tabriz, Iran – June 2020th . Roghayeh is 65 years old. She is praying on her husband’s grave with a mask on her face. Iran is amongst five of the countries with the highest spread of COVID-19. Iran’s government began an official lockdown on March 15th, 2020, the quarantines in place are for those who do not exhibit symptoms but have been exposed to the illness. For the large number of Iranians who live on a day by day income, staying home, means having no money to pay for essential things such as food. Therefore, they must take their life in their own hands and work in order to survive even at the risk of getting infected, spreading the virus in society at large, and even getting fined for breaking the quarantine. For them, choosing either path has extreme consequences. (Photo by Jalal Shamsazaran / NVP)
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- Tabriz, Iran – April 2020th. Roghayeh is 65 years old .She is going to her sister’s house while having a mask on her face. She lives alone after her husband dies. Some nights she goes to her sister’s house in order not to be alone. Iran is amongst five of the countries with the highest spread of COVID-19. Iran’s government began an official lockdown on March 15th, 2020, the quarantines in place are for those who do not exhibit symptoms but have been exposed to the illness. For the large number of Iranians who live on a day by day income, staying home, means having no money to pay for essential things such as food. Therefore, they must take their life in their own hands and work in order to survive even at the risk of getting infected, spreading the virus in society at large, and even getting fined for breaking the quarantine. For them, choosing either path has extreme consequences. (Photo by Jalal Shamsazaran / NVP)
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- Tabriz, Iran – May 2020th . Roghayeh is 65 years old. She is talking to his grandson, who can hardly see them due to the prevalence of COVID-19 disease and quarantine days in Iran. Iran is amongst five of the countries with the highest spread of COVID-19. Iran’s government began an official lockdown on March 15th, 2020, the quarantines in place are for those who do not exhibit symptoms but have been exposed to the illness. For the large number of Iranians who live on a day by day income, staying home, means having no money to pay for essential things such as food. Therefore, they must take their life in their own hands and work in order to survive even at the risk of getting infected, spreading the virus in society at large, and even getting fined for breaking the quarantine. For them, choosing either path has extreme consequences. . (Photo by Jalal Shamsazaran / NVP)
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- Tabriz, Iran – April 2020th. Roghayeh is 65 years old. She is returning home from work with her sister while having masks on their faces. She lives alone after her husband dies. Some nights she goes to her sister’s house in order not to be alone. Iran is amongst five of the countries with the highest spread of COVID-19. Iran’s government began an official lockdown on March 15th, 2020, the quarantines in place are for those who do not exhibit symptoms but have been exposed to the illness. For the large number of Iranians who live on a day by day income, staying home, means having no money to pay for essential things such as food. Therefore, they must take their life in their own hands and work in order to survive even at the risk of getting infected, spreading the virus in society at large, and even getting fined for breaking the quarantine. For them, choosing either path has extreme consequences.(Photo by Jalal Shamsazaran / NVP)
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- Tabriz, Iran, April 28th 2020. Ms. Roghayeh is 65 years old. She is standing behind her desk while having a mask on her face. One of the costumers is trying a scarf on her grandchildren. She has been importing Turkish women cloths for sale for many years. But, in her last trip, the borders between Iran and Turkey closed due to outbreak of COVID-19 and her goods stayed at Turkey. In spite of quarantine period in Iran, she has to open her shop to be able to pay the bank loans and renting costs. (Photo by Jalal Shamsazaran / NVP)
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- Tabriz, Iran, April 28th 2020. Ms. Roghayeh is 65 years old. She is looking outside from the glass door of her shop while having a mask on her face. She has been importing Turkish women cloths for sale for many years. But, in her last trip, the borders between Iran and Turkey closed due to outbreak of COVID-19 and her goods stayed at Turkey. In spite of quarantine period in Iran, she has to open her shop to be able to pay the bank loans and renting costs. (Photo by Jalal Shamsazaran / NVP)
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- Tabriz, Iran, April 16th 2020. Ms. Roghayeh is 65 years old. She is talking to one of her costumers while having a mask on her face. She has been importing Turkish women cloths for sale for many years. But, in her last trip, the borders between Iran and Turkey closed due to outbreak of COVID-19 and her goods stayed at Turkey. In spite of quarantine period in Iran, she has to open her shop to be able to pay the bank loans and renting costs. (Photo by Jalal Shamsazaran / NVP)
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- Tabriz, Iran, April 28th 2020. Ms. Roghayeh is 65 years old. She is presenting her costumer a pair of shoes while having a mask on her face. She has been importing Turkish women cloths for sale for many years. But, in her last trip, the borders between Iran and Turkey closed due to outbreak of COVID-19 and her goods stayed at Turkey. In spite of quarantine period in Iran, she has to open her shop to be able to pay the bank loans and renting costs. (Photo by Jalal Shamsazaran / NVP)
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- Tabriz, Iran, April 28th 2020. Ms. Roghayeh is 65 years old. She is talking to an old man who wants to buy wastes of the shop like plastics and cartons while having a mask on her face. She has been importing Turkish women cloths for sale for many years. But, in her last trip, the borders between Iran and Turkey closed due to outbreak of COVID-19 and her goods stayed at Turkey. In spite of quarantine period in Iran, she has to open her shop to be able to pay the bank loans and renting costs. (Photo by Jalal Shamsazaran / NVP)
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- Tabriz, Iran, April 28th 2020. Ms. Roghayeh is 65 years old. She is helping an old man who has come to buy wastes while having a mask on her face. She has been importing Turkish women cloths for sale for many years. But, in her last trip, the borders between Iran and Turkey closed due to outbreak of COVID-19 and her goods stayed at Turkey. In spite of quarantine period in Iran, she has to open her shop to be able to pay the bank loans and renting costs. (Photo by Jalal Shamsazaran / NVP)
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- Tabriz, Iran, April 16th 2020. Ms. Roghayeh is 65 years old. She is helping on of her costumers to try on a mantua while having a mask on her face. She has been importing Turkish women cloths for sale for many years. But, in her last trip, the borders between Iran and Turkey closed due to outbreak of COVID-19 and her goods stayed at Turkey. In spite of quarantine period in Iran, she has to open her shop to be able to pay the bank loans and renting costs. (Photo by Jalal Shamsazaran / NVP)
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- Tabriz, Iran, April 16th 2020. Ms. Roghayeh is 65 years old. She is hanging a mantua on a hanger while having a mask on her face. She has been importing Turkish women cloths for sale for many years. But, in her last trip, the borders between Iran and Turkey closed due to outbreak of COVID-19 and her goods stayed at Turkey. In spite of quarantine period in Iran, she has to open her shop to be able to pay the bank loans and renting costs. (Photo by Jalal Shamsazaran / NVP)
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- Tabriz, Iran, April 16th 2020. Ms. Roghayeh is 65 years old. She is wearing single-use gloves while having a mask on her face. She has been importing Turkish women cloths for sale for many years. But, in her last trip, the borders between Iran and Turkey closed due to outbreak of COVID-19 and her goods stayed at Turkey. In spite of quarantine period in Iran, she has to open her shop to be able to pay the bank loans and renting costs. (Photo by Jalal Shamsazaran / NVP)
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- Tabriz, Iran, April 16th 2020. Ms. Roghayeh is 65 years old. She is bidding her costumer goodbye while having a mask on her face. She has been importing Turkish women cloths for sale for many years. But, in her last trip, the borders between Iran and Turkey closed due to outbreak of COVID-19 and her goods stayed at Turkey. In spite of quarantine period in Iran, she has to open her shop to be able to pay the bank loans and renting costs. (Photo by Jalal Shamsazaran / NVP)
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- Tabriz, Iran, April 28th 2020. Ms. Roghayeh is 65 years old. She is standing behind sales desk while having a mask on her face. She has been importing Turkish women cloths for sale for many years. But, in her last trip, the borders between Iran and Turkey closed due to outbreak of COVID-19 and her goods stayed at Turkey. In spite of quarantine period in Iran, she has to open her shop to be able to pay the bank loans and renting costs. (Photo by Jalal Shamsazaran / NVP)
