A small store owned by a local businessman stays open late into the night in Chirundu with customers watching a Harry Potter DVD on the television. This small settlement on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe is a key transit point on the Great North trucking route from South Africa through to East Africa and it has become notorious for its congestion as every day hundreds of trucks try to pass through the nearby border. It is estimated that there are more than 350 sex workers based in Chirundu who provide services to truck drivers and others. The area is known as an HIV transmission hotspot.

Normal life continues, however, for local residents who face the challenges of poverty, and here enjoy some free entertainment.

This photo was taken in Chirundu by Gideon Mendel.