Mehmet Cevat, who could not survive on his salary alone after retiring, is trying to make ends meet by selling bagels and ayran in the Sur district of Diyarbakır. The increasing costs of daily life, rents and his children’s education have pushed him to this path.

“I am retired but I cannot make ends meet without working”

Speaking to Şoperêç, Cevat describes the difficulties he is experiencing with the following words:

“All of my children are studying, the rent, electricity, natural gas… So it is difficult. Then there are a few pennies left, and you cannot buy anything from the market with it.”

These words are not only Cevat’s; they are the common voice of thousands of retirees struggling to survive under similar conditions.

Bagel stand became a means of living

Mehmet Cevat, who sells bagels and ayran on the streets of Sur because his retirement salary is not sufficient, sets up his stand and starts working early every morning.

Cevat, who works non-stop despite his age, is struggling to make an honorable living.