Stories of the Unheard, 2016
Neta Kind-Lerer, William Briand, Anica James, Mitch Ward, and Jonathan H. Lee
On April 25, 2015, a devastating earthquake hit Nepal, claiming the lives of more than 9,000 individuals and leaving large numbers of people without a roof over their heads. Following this natural disaster, a group of volunteers from various countries, together with local activists, initiated Stories of the Unheard, a project that tells the story of Nepal in the year following the earthquake. Long after the world media had moved on to report on other disasters, this project sought to give voice to the unheard – to those whom the volunteers met on a daily, personal basis in villages, in the mountains, in schools, and in destroyed neighborhoods.
These volunteers, most of whom lacked any journalistic experience, interviewed local residents, recorded the conversations, and documented their surroundings using image and sound. In doing so, they told the stories of destroyed villages, of urban residents who left their homes to volunteer, and of people who lost their love ones, their sense of personal safety, and their livelihood.
Neta Kind-Lerer, aged 23, is a peace activist who served as a reporter on the Israeli Army Radio network. She volunteered to help restore villages destroyed during the earthquake in Nepal, where she lived alongside local residents; William Briand, aged 29, is a traveling photographer specializing in portraiture and landscapes; Anica James, aged 26, is an award-winning Canadian documentary photographer and educator, and has been listed as one of the world's most promising female photographers under 30 (PhotoBoite); Mitch Ward, aged 26, is a photographer from Nova Scotia, Canada; Jonathan H. Lee is an environmental and social photographer raised in Hong Kong and Los Angeles and currently residing in Nepal, where he works in education and community development.
photo: Neta Kind-Lerer, William Briand