Mica mines in Madagascar provide minerals that are needed in the new electric cars and in electronics. The major problem with it is that because of poverty many families in Madagascar are working in the mines with their children. Some of the children that are working in the mines are aged 5 years old and a bit older. The Mica mines are easier to digg than coltan or gold mines and easier to find, sometimes they are in the fields of farmers. Madagascar is one of the biggest exporter of mica in the world. 





This reportage was made on assignment for Unicef Nederland in 2019. Copyright: Jan-Joseph Stok /Unicef. 




Haova Mahareta Mamisoa (10) Mamisoa (10) (RIGHT) works in the mica mine Tsivery near the village Ampikazo. Here she is with her mother on the left and her little sister of 9 months old. Here she is extracting the Mica minerals from the mines. Some of the mines are digged inside farm fields because they have found indication that they can find it there.
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Mara Soatata (5) works in Tsivery mica mine near the village of Ampikazo. He has working for one year now in the mine. His main activity is to sort out and carry the minerals, but he is also extracting. For the moment he stills doesn't know how to distinguish the different qualities.

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Haova Mahareta Mamisoa (10) Mamisoa (10) works in the mica mine Tsivery near the village Ampikazo. Here she is sorting out the Mica minerals according to quality.
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Mara Soatata (5) Mara Soatata (5) works in Tsivery mica mine near the village of Ampikazo. He has working for one year now in the mine. His main activity is to sort out and carry the minerals, but he is also extracting. For the moment he stills doesn't know how to distinguish the different qualities. Here he is working together with his father Sambo Magmajary (56).
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Mara Soatata (5) Mara Soatata (5) works in Tsivery mica mine near the village of Ampikazo. He has working for one year now in the mine. His main activity is to sort out and carry the minerals, but he is also extracting. For the moment he stills doesn't know how to distinguish the different qualities.
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Mica Hands of a child at work in the mica mine Tsivery near the village Ampikazo.
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Mara Soatata (5) Mara Soatata (5) (in the tunnel) works in Tsivery mica mine near the village of Ampikazo. He has working for one year now in the mine. His main activity is to sort out and carry the minerals, but he is also extracting. For the moment he stills doesn't know how to distinguish the different qualities. He is working non stop and is not afraid to work in the mine.
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Mara Soatata (5) Mara Soatata (5) works in Tsivery mica mine near the village of Ampikazo. Here he is collecting wood for his family. This will help them to cook.
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Haova Mahareta Mamisoa (10) Mamisoa (10) works in the mica mine Tsivery near the village Ampikazo. Here she is gathering wood with other children to bring back to the mothers who are cooking for them. Mamisoa is in front. She is making a pile with the wood that she found.
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Mica Children are sorting out mica minerals in Ampikazo mica mine.
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Mica Close view of mica minerals taken in Tsivery mica mine.
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Haova Mahareta Mamisoa (10) Mamisoa (10) works in the mica mine Tsivery near the village Ampikazo. Here she is taking care of her little sister of 9 months old, while her parents are active in the mine.
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Mara Soatata (5) Hands of Mara Soatata (5 years old) works in Tsivery mica mine near the village of Ampikazo. He has working for one year now in the mine. His main activity is to sort out and carry the minerals, but he is also extracting. For the moment he stills doesn't know how to distinguish the different qualities.
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Haova Mahareta Mamisoa (10) Mamisoa (10) works in the mica mine Tsivery near the village Ampikazo. Here she is having food with her entire family. Next to her it is her mother, in yellow her father, her grand mother and grand father are there as well. The others are her siblings.
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Haova Mahareta Mamisoa (10) Mamisoa (10) works in the mica mine Tsivery near the village Ampikazo. Here she is sorting out the mica minerals according to quality.
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Mica Children are sorting out mica minerals in the Tsivery mica mine near the Ampikazo village. They select according to quality, they use a mosquito net to help them select.
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Haova Mahareta Mamisoa (10) Mamisoa (10) (right) works in the mica mine Tsivery near the village Ampikazo. She has just delivered the mica minerals that she gathered during the day. The buyer is paying one of her family members. The buyer has a pile, when the pile is big enough, they call transport to come and collect it.
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Mara Soatata (5) Mara Soatata (5) works in Tsivery mica mine near the village of Ampikazo. Here he is playing with a wooden truck next to a hole/tunnel of a mica mine.
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Mica Children are arguing with a mica buyer regarding the money they received for the mica minerals that they have brought to him. Children usually earn 500 Ar a day.
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Mica A family is sorting out mica minerals in Tsivery mica mine.
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Mara Soatata (5) Mara Soatata (5) 's father Sambo Magmajary (56) is holding his 6 months old daugter in the mica mine. While the mother is still sorting out mica minerals.
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Mara Soatata (5) Mara Soatata (5) works in Tsivery mica mine near the village of Ampikazo. Here is going back home with his parents and all the people of the mine back to the village.
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Haova Mahareta Mamisoa (10) Mamisoa (10) works in the mica mine Tsivery near the village Ampikazo. Here she is back at her home after a whole day working in the mine. They live all together in the house behind her.
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Mica Magmasoa ( 10 ) is working in the mica mine of Ampikazo. She is making the mineral small to sort out the quality.
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Mica In a village at 20 km of Ampikazo, the left overs of mica minerals are spread through the village were people live. The density of mica powder in the air is very high.
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Mica A young man is extracting mica minerals from the mica mine Ampikazo. The tunnels can be several meters deep.
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Mica Children and adults are making bags with mica mineral to be transported by a truck. The buyer of the minerals is paying them to load the truck. They fill the bags with the minerals who will again be weighted before going inside the truck.
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Mica Children and adults are making bags with mica mineral to be transported by a truck. The buyer of the minerals is paying them to load the truck. They fill the bags with the minerals who will again be weighted before going inside the truck.
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Mica Children and adults are making bags with mica mineral to be transported by a truck. The buyer of the minerals is paying them to load the truck. They fill the bags with the minerals who will again be weighted before going inside the truck.
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Mica Children and adults are making bags with mica mineral to be transported by a truck. The buyer of the minerals is paying them to load the truck. They fill the bags with the minerals who will again be weighted before going inside the truck. Here the buyers are giving instructions.
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Mica Sorting site of Amboasary south. (Harenasara) . Here entire families (adults and children) are sorting out the mica minerals before it is being shipped to fort dauphin for export. Final stage before export.
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Mica Sorting site of Amboasary south. (Harenasara) . Here entire families (adults and children) are sorting out the mica minerals before it is being shipped to fort dauphin for export. Final stage before export.
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Mica Sorting site of Amboasary south. (Harenasara) . Here entire families (adults and children) are sorting out the mica minerals before it is being shipped to fort dauphin for export. Final stage before export.
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Mica Sorting site of Amboasary south. (Harenasara) . Here entire families (adults and children) are sorting out the mica minerals before it is being shipped to fort dauphin for export. Final stage before export.
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Mica Sorting site of Amboasary south. (Harenasara) . Here entire families (adults and children) are sorting out the mica minerals before it is being shipped to Fort dauphin for export. Final stage before export.

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Mica Sorting site of Amboasary south. (Harenasara) . Here entire families (adults and children) are sorting out the mica minerals before it is being shipped to fort dauphin for export. Final stage before export.
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Mica Sorting site of Radomare in the city of Fort Dauphin . Here entire families (adults and children) are sorting out the mica minerals before it is being shipped to the harbour of F

ort dauphin for export. Final stage before export.

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Mica Sorting site of Radomare in the city of Fort Dauphin . Here entire families (adults and children) are sorting out the mica minerals before it is being shipped to the harbour of Fort dauphin for export. Final stage before export.

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Mica Sorting site of Radomare in the city of Fort Dauphin . Here entire families (adults and children) are sorting out the mica minerals before it is being shipped to the harbour of Fort dauphin for export. Final stage before export. Here they are weighting the minerals.

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Mica Harbour of Ehoala of Fort Dauphin were the mica minerals are being stocked and shipped to the rest of the world.F

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