Jelena Radeta is a vendor of the street paper Liceulice in Belgrade, Serbia. In spite of all medical diagnoses she received, starting from the doctor's recommendation that her parents leave her in an institution, through the inadequate therapy she received in the early days, this she has a positive outlook, now works two jobs and is one of the most experienced vendors of Liceulice magazine. She proudly points out that the wishes of people with disabilities are no different than anyone else – to find a permanent job and start a family.

Liceulice vendor Jelena Radeta: “I am not ashamed of being a person with a disability”

Giorgio arrived in Italy from Ethiopia in 1997 in search of work. Life became increasingly hard after the 2008 financial crisis, and Giorgio became homeless in 2015. A few years later he started working as a Scarp de’ tenis vendor, which he continued to do until 2022. Then came the breakthrough: a permanent work contract, offered to Giorgio when he was 65.

Scarp de’ tenis vendor Giorgio: “The street paper helped me to believe in myself”

Luciano “Bebu” Saavedra can be found at the intersection of Rivadavia and Combate de los Pozos Streets in Buenos Aires selling the street paper. Here, he chats with Fernando Espósito – a former Hecho vendor – about homelessness, the desaparecidos (disappeared) of the last dictatorship, the current economic situation in Argentina, and the need to sell more papers.

Hecho en Bs. As. vendor Luciano ‘Bebu’ Saavedra: “You can’t put a price on freedom”

All photos courtesy of The Big Issue UK. Street art by Loretto.

What if the Queen had the vision of a Big Issue vendor? The street paper asked its team, who sell the magazine across the country, what they’d do if they were Queen for a day as the UK’s reigning monarch celebrates her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne. The insights are intriguing.

“I’d give everybody a pay rise and halve the electric bills”: Big Issue vendors on what they’d do if they were Queen for the day

Siou is a L'Itinéraire vendor who sells the magazine on the corner of Mont-Royal and Bordeaux in Montréal, Canada. Here he presents portraits he illustrated from photos in an old magazine he came across celebrating the loyal service of factory workers at the Horne division, a smelting facility in northern Québec. He explains why this had personal significance for him, how it related to his own life and memories of his father, and how it is a document of working class men from a bygone era and industry. Later, in a quest to understand what each of the portrait subjects did at the factory, Siou asked his customers to describe their responsibilities from their peculiar job titles alone.

The miners in my mind: L'Itinéraire vendor Siou’s portrait project of Québec factory workers

No-one plans to become a failed businessman or an alcoholic. But here he was, both a failed businessman and an alcoholic, a world away from what he had imagined. Although now largely forgotten, the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis cast a long shadow over Korean society, and there are many who are still dealing with its after effects. Big Issue Korea vendor Jeon Seongwoo sells the street paper at exit 1 of Anguk subway station in Seoul. We are often faced with challenges which occur as no fault of our own, and sometimes these challenges are so overwhelming that it’s difficult to come back from them. That’s why it is impossible to suggest that homelessness and poverty are simply a result of individual choices. Jeon Seongwoo has been forced to rethink his understanding of his ‘country’ and ‘homeland’.

Big Issue Korea vendor Jeon Seongwoo: “Life is a carousel”

Ulf Gustafsson, 65 years old, sells Faktum in the Partille Centrum outside Gothenburg. As the World Cup rolls on, he extolls about his passion for local team Gais – one of Sweden’s oldest football clubs which plays in the second tier of the country’s league system – and how his fandom of the team has intersected with his life.

“Like the team, I always make a comeback”: Faktum vendor Ulf lives and breathes for the Gothenburg football club Gais

Everyone who is a part of the global street paper network knows what a street paper is – that extends to the staff that put each publication together and those who buy them. But the people who truly know what a street paper is – what it means – are those who sell them. Here, a collection of street paper vendors – from North Macedonia to Canada – tell us, in their own words, what a street paper is, personally to them.

“The street paper saved my life” – what street papers are in the words of those who sell them

Romanian-born Ramona is finding life tough these days: she is undergoing treatment for breast cancer and works as a Kupfermuckn vendor, in Linz, Austria, when her health allows. She and her husband left Romania with their young son a decade ago after experiencing prejudice because of their Romani background. Nowadays, Ramona is doing everything she can to stay strong for her family, which welcomed daughter Vanessa in 2020.

Kupfermuckn vendor Ramona: “I thought to myself, ‘if I stay in Romania, I will die’”

Hu Peilian, affectionately known as Ms. Hu, sells The Big Issue Taiwan at the entrance of Taichung Railway station. Ms. Hu uses a wheelchair, and had been rejected from many jobs because of her physical disability before finding the street paper.

Big Issue Taiwan vendor Hu Peilian: “This job has shown me that I can actually support myself without having to rely on other people”

Thifany sells a copy of the magazine to a customer. Courtesy of 

Thifany Branco grew up having her identity rejected as she came out as transgender. It led to some traumatic experiences. However, at 41 years old, she has been able to shine as part of Brazilian street paper Revista Traços.

Revista Traços cultural spokesperson Thifany Branco: “Over the years, I have learned that my gender identity is rejected by society. Traços accepted me as I am and gave me back the self-esteem I had lost”

Nový Prostor vendor Josef. Credit: Eliška Krátká

Selling Czech street paper Nový Prostor is not only about money. It’s about the way the seller connects with other people, which in return reconnects them with the society. Here, the magazine talks to vendor Josef about growing up in Peru, working as a sculptor, and caring for his dog Kyra.

Nový Prostor vendor Josef: “I want to get off the street”

 in Nashville, Tennessee, receives the COVID vaccines.

With Covid vaccines being rolled out differently across the world, that means marginalised and vulnerable communities in different parts of the world are receiving immunisation at different rates. But it does mean some good news: street paper vendors are beginning to receive the jab, and with the world opening up again, that’s more than welcome.

“Nobody should go without the shot”: Dispatches from vaccinated street paper vendors

 Vendor’s Lounge, where she often writes. Photo by Annemarie Cuccia.

Nikki Smith, who moved to Washington DC earlier this year, is already making an impact with her art and advocacy. She moved from a tent to a shelter and has been working on her writing which is now being published in the local street paper Street Sense. And she’s working with an initiative to help women experiencing homelessness become involved in advocacy like her. 

Washington DC street paper vendor Nikki Smith on helping others — and herself

vendor Paul Grigatis (left) enjoys meeting the public with Vendor and Volunteer Coordinator Devon Tremain at a recent pop-up plaza event in Vancouver. A new mentorship program pairs new vendors with seasoned pros to show them the ropes of selling. Credit: Paul Grigaitis.

Megaphone’s new vendor mentorship program provides sales support and fosters confidence. Paul Grigaitis, who was a community newspaper reporter before finding himself struggling with addiction and his mental health, became a vendor at Megaphone only to feel that he didn’t have the confidence to go out and do it well. The magazine’s new program helped him get going.

Mentors help new vendors find the courage to succeed at Vancouver street paper Megaphone

Nataša Bojanić – or Naca – is a familiar face to all those who pass her pitch in Belgrade, where she has been selling Liceulice for more than ten years. During those years, she has experienced many things – some bitter and some sweet. But Naca has learned to deal with the occasional inconveniences she faces, and she remains cheerful and determined not to give up.

On Liceulice vendor Nataša Bojanić: “Engaging in different situations, ranging from positive to the negative ones, gave Naca a greater sense of independence”

Lice v Lice vendor Memet Kamber who recently passed away. Photo by Tomislav Georgiev.

Memet Kamber, who sold the street paper Lice v Lice in North Macedonia, died at the end of last month. He was admitted to hospital with hyperglycemia likely caused by lifelong diabetes. He grew up without a permanent residence and because Memet had no state-recognised ID card, he was essentially deemed stateless in his own country, and had been unable to access medical care. His situation is not unique in the country.

Lice v Lice vendor Memet Kamber’s death highlights the struggle undocumented citizens in North Macedonia face accessing health care

Hannes Lindgren Eriksen is 28 years old and works as a Faktum vendor in Gothenburg, Sweden. His pitch is at Stenpiren, a central travel hub on the banks of the Göta River where people hop on and off buses, trams and ferries as they travel around the city, archipelago and beyond. It’s a perfect spot for him: he can indulge his love of trains, trams and ferries while working as a vendor and delighting in connecting with his network of customers.

Faktum vendor Hannes Lindgren Eriksen on growing up with autism

Iso Numero's Enkete Mungbaba. Credit: Janne Hukka.

Everyone who is a part of the global street paper network knows what a street paper is – that extends to the staff that put each publication together and those who buy them. But the people who truly know what a street paper is – what it means – are those who sell them. Here, a collection of street paper vendors – from Brazil to Finland – tell us, in their own words, what a street paper is, personally to them.

“Street papers have a sort of superpower” – what street papers are in the words of those who sell them

Changgab’s face has a peaceful and relaxed look, which is perhaps surprising for someone who’s lived many years at sea, slept rough at Seoul Station and lived day-to-day in short-term accommodation. Life is good right now, he says. Changgab has been working as a Big Issue Korea vendor since September 2018 and met his wife in 2020. They now share their lives with their dog, Bo-ri, and live in a rented home.

Big Issue Korea vendor Kwak Changgab: “You can move forward when you earn some of your own money”

In the nine years that he has been selling Liceulice, Tomislav Martic has been chosen as vendor of the month several times. But things weren’t easy for him at the start. Martic credits Living Together, which is run by Liceulice’s partner organisation – the Association for Helping People with Developmental Disabilities, with helping him to overcome the shyness and discomfort he felt when engaging with others. Nowadays he views the organisation as a second home.

Liceulice vendor Tomislav Martic: "My work has had such a positive effect on me"

Peter Andersen, current editor of Hus Forbi in Denmark, takes us through their plans to help vendors through a rough part of the year, with additional products to ensure a continued to sustainable income to assistance with managing the winter cold.

Q&A: How Danish street paper Hus Forbi supports vendors through the winter

' Marcus Vinicius. Credit: Thaís Mallon.

Everyone who is a part of the global street paper network knows what a street paper is – that extends to the staff that put each publication together and those who buy them. But the people who truly know what a street paper is – what it means – are those who sell them. Here, a collection of street paper vendors – from Greece to Australia – tell us, in their own words, what a street paper is, personally to them.

“It was an opportunity for rediscovery” – what street papers are in the words of those who sell them

Paul Shawdover has been a Megaphone vendor since 2018. Credit: Paula Carlson.

Paul Shawdover, who sells Megaphone, a street paper based in Vancouver, Canada, says he is proud to be a Black Jamaican Canadian and appreciate the values and lifestyle that he has learned and earned in this piece reflecting on the country’s celebration of Black history.

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