This young girl's portrait was made on December 1, 2013 in a refugee camp located just inside Uttar Pradesh, India. She and her family fled sectarian violence which to this day has yet to be fully understood.
They live within a collection of tents, without education, medicine, electricity, water, permanent toilet, etc. A thin sheet of fabric is her only protection from the harsh environment, both natural and human. With this in mind she presents herself for us to witness, for us to absorb.
Can we imagine what she has seen, what she has heard in her young life? What images flow through her young mind while she tries to sleep? Does she see one meal per day? How does she deal with the trauma inflicted upon her just a few months before?
How was she able to walk up to a stranger with the camera and present herself with such vibrancy? She looks through the lens, through the photographer and to those perhaps willing to hear her story. I share her hope and wish one day that her life at least returns to 'normal' and much more.
www.halimina.org
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