In Pictures

Gallery|Poverty and Development

In Pictures: A place called home

Snapshots of lives on the periphery; stories of persistence, determination and a hope for something more.

Tondo, Philippines - Manila(***)s Tondo district is the most densely populated and least developed part of the Philippine capital. But beyond the poverty and hardship there are also stories of persistence, perseverence and success
Published On 27 Sep 2014

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The United Nations predicts that in 50 years, one in three people will live in a slum. But what determines where you live and how does your environment shape your health, hopes, and prospects?

In a special season of coverage, Al Jazeera travelled across the globe in search of snapshots and stories from the places people on the periphery call “home”.

From the lagoons of Lagos, to the tropical forests of Thailand, and the red light districts of Kolkata; from the townships of Johannesburg, to the towering slums of Caracas, and the vanishing islands of the South Pacific; from the broken modernist monuments of Phnom Penh, to the squat settlements of Florence, we find stories of hardship, tragedy and loss.

But in the people who live there – who toil and persevere – we also find persistence, determination, and a hope for something more.

To read more about the people and places featured here, download the Al Jazeera Magazine issues Where I live, Part 1 and Where I live, Part 2 – available for free on iTunes and Android.

Dharavi, India - Dharavi, in the centre of Mumbai, is one of Asia(***)s largest slums and among the most densely populated residential areas in the world, where between 300,000 and 1 million people are believed to reside
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Oz Zion, West Bank - From the Israeli settlement of Oz Zion in the West Bank, the Palestinian town Deir Dibwan can be seen. Jewish settlers there believe a small hut in an olive-tree plantation is all it takes to create a settlement; and that one small structure can be a first step in establishing a large city
Lagos, Nigeria - A young girl sits in a wooden boat among houses built on stilts in Makoko, a sprawling waterside slum in Lagos, that was first established as a fishing village and that is now thought to house some 200,000 people
Mae La, Thailand - In the Mae La refugee camp on the Thai-Myanmar border, local children watch a DVD on a television placed outdoors. Electricity in the camp is very expensive, so refugees use small generators to power their appliances, which they can afford to use for just a few hours a day
Diepsloot, South Africa - A boy kicks a football around a sandy lot that doubles as a driving school and a makeshift marketplace in Diepsloot, a township northwest of Johannesburg, where more than half the residents are formally unemployed
Kiribati Islands, South Pacific - The Republic of Kiribati, formerly known as the Gilbert Islands, comprises 33 atolls, that are under threat from rising sea levels. Water could one day submerge every inch of land, leading many to term these the disappearing islands of Kiribati
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Phnom Penh, Cambodia - In Phnom Penh(***)s White Building, children run up and down the architect(***)s carefully designed, perfectly symmetrical staircase. Once an icon of 1960s architecture, the building is now a delapidated structure marred by make-shift repairs and shabby construction
Verkhnyaya Elshanka, Russia - A man collects water in a wasteland in the village of Verkhnyaya Elshanka, in the city of Volgograd
River la compania, Mexico - The river (***)La compania(***) is a sewage canal that runs through the municipalities of Chalco, Chimalhuacan and Nezahualcoyotl. It is also the main source of pollution and infection for the local, largely impoverished population
California, United States - A man cooks lunch near a makeshift tent where he lives in (***)the Jungle(***), a homeless encampment in San Jose, California. The Jungle, just miles away from Silicon Valley, is home at times to as many as 350 residents, almost all locals, and is believed to be the largest homeless encampment in the US
Caracas, Venezuela - La Torre David, the world(***)s highest residential slum in Caracas, is bidding farewell to the last of its residents, who are being relocated to state-subsidised housing on the outskirts of the city
Kolkata, India - Rohima Begum (L), 30, walks out of her brothel with her sex-worker friend in Kalighat, Kolkata(***)s second largest red light district. Ten years ago, she was lured to the city with the promise of finding work as a domestic helper, but was made to work as a sex worker instead
Florence, Italy - Pieces of furniture are scattered on the terrace at the top floor of the Slataper street slum in Florence, where roughly 150 migrants, mostly from Sub-Saharan Africa, have found a transitory home
Fort National, Haiti - Fort National resident Alma Salien(***)s children exit the front door of his makeshift house built on land inherited from his father. Alma(***)s home and workshop in Port au Prince was destroyed during the earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010
Madrid, Spain - The Canada Real slum, the largest shantytown in western Europe, was founded more than 40 years ago by farmers heading to the city in search of work. It has homed waves of migrants and impoverished and marginalised Spaniards in the years since
Lalish, Iraq - Yazidi men sit by the famous serpent carving in the courtyard of the temple of Sheikh Adi in Lalish, a scared hamlet now housing thousands who are fleeing ISIL
Wadi al Naam, Negev - Children play at Wadi al Naam, near Ramat Hovav, Israel(***)s hazardous industrial park and waste disposal facility, which currently encompasses 14 agro and petrochemical factories. It lies just 1km away from the village, where high rates of acute illnesses are found among the villagers