What kids play with when there's no electricity

The cemetery and grounds around the Sakhi shrine in Kabul are a popular picnicking area on Fridays. There are a few ferris wheels, this one run by the guy in the red vest. Electricity is scarce in Afghanistan, so this ferris wheel is actually powered by him. He spins it by turning the turquoise wheel, similar to how a wheelchair works.


In the Asheqan wa Arefan neighborhood, we ran into this guy with the white scarf on his head, who carts around his portable merry-go-round! The kids climb into the seats and grab onto the black steering wheel in the center to turn themselves round. Another self-powered ride.


Poles are another useful form of electricity-free entertainment...


as are paper airplanes.

We asked this girl what her doll's name was, and she said it was "doll." When I suggested Najiba or Massouda or Shafiqa, she nodded her head yes to each one. She then settled on Najiba. We met the little bunnies on our way up to the Kabul wall.

They are just about 100 meters away from their house, which overlooks the city.