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My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Thursday, October 14, 2010 | 5 photos

These photos were taken on an expedition to Nepal, at the end of last year. It was one of the most amazing, yet humbling experiences of my life. Everywhere was so beautiful... and yet below the mountains, and the lakes, and the terraced hills, were the homeless. Struggling to survive, they were left to survive off the millions of wealthy tourists that passed them by. The last two images are of Thalmadare, a Tibetan refugee who we called Thalma. Her children were born in Nepal. She herself came to Nepal when she was six. Yet they will never be citizens of Nepal. She leaves the refugee camp where they live, and travels over two hours every day to sell handmade jewellery to tourists, in the mountain town of Pokhara. This is how we met her. Most days, she makes around 300 rupees - around $4.50. Her positivity, in spite of all the hardship she faces, was inspiring.
The other story is of two girls whose names I could not find out. We drove past them on a bus, and we could not stop and help them. They are one of many families living on the banks of a local river. The girl is little older than 12.