Hundreds of ethnic minority people in the central province of Kon Tum are carrying their children in their arms to the PoKo River while they sift for gold.

Most of them are Ro Ngao and J’rai ethnic people in Kroong commune of Kon Tum City and Sa Binh commune in Sa Thay district.

These austere people do not work diligently to sift for gold powder to have a new life or to get rich but to earn only between VND50,000 and VND60,000 (US$2.56-US$3.07) per day to cover their family’s living costs. In fact none have had enough luck to have a new life from this “career”.

Y Hon, a 40-year-old Ro Ngao ethnic woman from Kroong commune, looks older and more decrepit than her age. She is soaking half of her body in turbid water to sift for gold while carrying a 2 and a half year-old child on her back.

She said she has 12 children but three died of diseases. “My second son is 20 years old, his wife and child are also sifting for gold over there. His child is as old as my last one but hard lives forces them to come here to earn their living.”

Many families are in the same boat with Y Hon’s great family. Y Duoi’s son, six, is allowed to skip school for a week to help her family sift for gold.

The majority of children present at the river help their family sift for gold on off-school days or even skip school for this work. Meanwhile, some are infants who are carried piggy-back style while their mothers work away.

Large family on gold sifting site

Hon with her 2-year-old child

A girl who is only about 6 years old but has to carry her little sister to the river with their family, instead of going to school

There are many children at the site

This boy had to drop out of the first grade to come help his family at the river

These austere people earn only between VND50,000 and VND60,000 (US$2.56-US$3.07) per day

A simple meal for lunch

Children carrying tools to work