Thali Displacement Camp ~ Aura Freedom (Part II)

~ Note: This post is the continuation of a previous post following my experience with Aura Freedom International in a post-earthquake camp in Thali, Kathmandu, Nepal. Please see here for the first part of the series. ~ 

Upon stepping back out into the sun from the inside of the temporary housing of the camp, I made my way along the short path towards the FFS (Female Friendly Space) for the workshop and empowerment session Marissa was leading for the children and youth.

The theme ~ Dreams.

The energy of this space felt a world away from the inside of the camp’s temporary housing I had been in only moments before. Stepping into the FFS tent, I was surrounded with smiles, laughter and an air of lightheartedness. 

The children engaged as Marissa led them through animated conversation about dreams, the ability to reach for them even through the most challenging of circumstance, and the importance of following them relentlessly. To attend school. To move forward. To hold onto hope for a bright future amidst the losses they have experienced. 

I watched as children began to share their dreams aloud ~ Dreams of being a teacher. A dancer. Dreams of having an abundance of food to eat.

The joy within the tent became palpable as the children received gifts of notebooks, pencils and immersed themselves in a state of togetherness and joy in the present moment.

I thought to myself ~ These women and children have lost their homes. Some have undoubtedly lost members of family and friends.

These children are living in a displacement camp. These children are, in this moment, smiling, energetic, hopeful. 

The women ~ mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters ~ surrounded the FFS and looked on. I observed them in awe.

Upon leaving the camp later on alongside Aura Freedom and Apeiron, I was approached by a woman, placing her hand on my arm and urging me to photograph her.

She looked directly into my eyes not as someone who had lost her home, not as someone staying in a displacement camp or as a victim, but as a pillar of strength.

I saw in her eyes someone defined not by tragedy or circumstance, but by the unwavering will to forge ahead. A testament to the fortitude not only of this woman, but in my mind, to all women. We held each other's gaze for what felt like a long time. I put my hand to my heart, thanking her for the photograph, and made my way slowly out of the camp that she has likely called home for the past five months.

To learn more about Aura Freedom International, their programs and Female Friendly Space initiative, you may visit www.aurafreedom.org.

 

Thali Displacement Camp ~ Aura Freedom (Part I)

Prior to coming to Nepal, I had the opportunity to connect with Marissa Kokkoros, founder of Aura Freedom International. My desire to contribute to and collaborate with Aura Freedom was strong from the moment I became aware of the organization. Their mission is to empower, support and educate women and girls worldwide through grassroots programs and sustainable projects with like-minded organizations. Since the April 25th earthquake in Nepal, their efforts have gone into implementing a roving Female Friendly Space (FFS) that travels to various displacement camps where women can go to report incidents of violence, seek services, be referred to medical or trauma counseling, attend awareness workshops and experience empowerment and safety.

On September 17th, I traveled with a small team from Aura Freedom and one of their partners, Apeiron, to photograph the FFS in one of the displacement camps in Thali, Kathmandu. 

Stepping out of the sun into the stone building in which several tarps and tenting were set up as temporary housing within the camp, my eyes took a few moments to adjust to the darkness within. As I tread forward on the dirt floor, my body was engulfed in a stagnant heat far beyond that of the sun outside. Within minutes I was soaked through from the humidity within the stone walls. The heaviness of the air almost unbearable, I wondered how those in the camp were able to sleep through the night in such conditions. 

As I was granted time to wander within the maze of tarps, clothes hanging on the ropes lining the corridors and doorways to semi private rooms with families’ belongings piled in heaps and disarray among every corner, my heart grew heavy. As children peered at me around corners of the tarps, smiling at me, curious and vulnerable before my camera lens, my heart grew heavier still.

It didn't feel quite real to be an observer in such a place, to be someone passing through ~ I felt a palpable awareness that I may never understand or relate to what the people under this roof were going through. 

Suddenly, a boy of two or three years old wandered to me as I crouched with my camera in contemplation. His small hands went to my knees as he crouched close towards my lap, and there we sat and stared into one another's eyes, time standing still as I poured sweat, smiling at him as though trying to convince him and myself that this was all ok. Breathing slow, my camera went down.

He reached over and held my hand ~ held it and did not let go.

My heart swelled, my eyes filled, overwhelmed with love for this boy as I held his hand tightly, smiling and staring into his gaze, unwavering, and wanting to take him into my arms and give him everything. A home, a way out of the camp, a secure place to sleep with his family’s belongings not piled up in the corner of a room that felt more like an oven than anything else. 

I wonder what his understanding is of this place, or if he will remember it down the road. I wonder where he will end up, or how long the camp resources will last. I wonder how long he will be here within these walls. I wonder if he will be 'ok' ~ whatever this means.

These are the questions I continue to ask myself tonight as I hit publish on this post.