Dajana Djuric, 25, who has worked as a chimney sweep since the age of six, cleans a chimney in Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dajana Djuric, believed to be the only female chimney sweep in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has to contend with perilous roofs in the depth of winter. Djuric, 25, started to learn her trade aged six from her father, who set up a chimney-sweep business after working in Germany. A local belief that seeing a chimney sweep brings you luck – as long as you touch a button on your clothing – helps to bring in custom. After training as an environmental technician in Brcko, Djuric learnt more about the trade in Belgrade as an apprentice sweep. A degree in ecology and environmental protection followed in the city of Banja Luka. She is now preparing a master's thesis about chimneys and tries to combine time-honoured practices of the trade with a concern for the environment. Smoke from chimneys adds to air pollution if they are not cleaned properly, she says. The family business makes use of modern equipment, including inspection cameras, and applies ecological methods to clean and maintain chimneys and boiler rooms. The job of a chimney sweep isn’t without its downside. “Winter is the worst”, she says. “Once I was severely hurt when I fell from the roof, from a height of almost five metres. I had to lie down and rest for nearly three months”. (Photo by Dado Ruvic/Reuters)





Dajana Djuric, 25,who has worked as a chimney sweep since the age of six, climbs a roof of a house to clean a chimney in Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Dado Ruvic/Reuters)





Dajana Djuric, 25, who has worked as a chimney sweep since the age of six, prepares in her office before cleaning chimneys in Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Dado Ruvic/Reuters)





Dajana Djuric, 25, who has worked as a chimney sweep since the age of six, poses for a photograph as she stands on a roof of a house in Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Dado Ruvic/Reuters)





Dajana Djuric, 25, who has worked as a chimney sweep since the age of six, eats after cleaning chimneys in Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Dado Ruvic/Reuters)





Dajana Djuric, 25, who has worked as a chimney sweep since the age of six, talks to a man after cleaning chimneys in Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Dado Ruvic/Reuters)





Dajana Djuric, 25, who has worked as a chimney sweep since the age of six, poses for a photograph after cleaning chimneys in Brcko, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Dado Ruvic/Reuters)