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Refugees  
(41 images)

  • The Dalai Lama blesses recent arrivals from Tibet, including a young girl with her mother Dharamsala, northern India.<br /> Hundreds of young children walk or are smuggled over the high mountain passes of Tibet every year in hope of receiving a Tibetan education in exile. His Holiness arranges an audience with every one of them. Since the 1959 exodus from Tibet led by the Dalai Lama, more than 130,000 Tibetans in exile have fought to preserve their unique culture and identity while rebuilding their lives in the 47 Tibetan refugee settlements throughout India and Nepal. In this sense, Tibetan refugees have managed more than mere survival; they have created a Tibet in exile that is in some ways more truly Tibetan than their occupied homeland.
    The Dalai Lama blesses recent arrivals from Tibet, including a young...
  • I first met His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1988 and have had the great fortune to photograph him a number of times over the years. One day we were walking through the lovely bamboo shaded lane from his home to his office as we passed one of his ever-present guards. Suddenly the Dalai Lama stopped. Placing one hand on the soldier’s hand holding the rifle, he chanted a prayer and moved on. I quickly lifted my camera and managed to take one frame. The guard simply beamed.
    I first met His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1988 and have had the great...
  • The Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India.<br /> "Ah, you again," the Dalai Lama exclaimed, taking my hand and holding it as we walked through his garden. He stopped to feed his pet parakeets, and I apologized for taking his time from what is now an incredibly busy schedule of meetings. "Please know that I have the best of intentions," I assured him. He turned towards me suddenly, his eyes boring into mine. "Yes, I know. And good intent is very important. Most important in all that you do. Never forget." Whatever your actions, it’s what in your heart that truly matters.” His simple words always made an impact on me.
    The Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India. "Ah, you again," the Dalai Lama...
  • Three Tibetan Buddhist monks at Dip-Tse-Chok-Ling Monastery in Dharamsala, India. With more than 6500 Tibetan Buddhist monasteries destroyed in Tibet after the 1959 Chinese invasion many of the monks and lamas have fled their homeland. New monasteries such as Dip-Tse-Chok-Ling Monastery in Dharamsala India have been rebuilt to house the exiled refugees and the new generation of enthusiastic young monks.
    Three Tibetan Buddhist monks at Dip-Tse-Chok-Ling Monastery in...
  • Tibetan Lama and his twin grandsons at Swayambunath, Kathmandu, Nepal.<br /> Lobsang Thenba, a Tibetan lama living in exile, stands proudly with his two young grandsons at Swayambunath stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal. These twins have been trained to be monks since birth, and one has recently been recognized as a being reincarnated as a high lama or Rinpoche.
    Tibetan Lama and his twin grandsons at Swayambunath, Kathmandu, Nepal....
  • Tibetan refugee children in day care in Darjeeling, India.<br /> Tibetan children seem to be conversing in day care while their parents work nearby weaving carpets at the Self Help Settlement. <br /> “I hope, as every parent does, that my child will have a good education, a happy life, a sense of identity,” says Chodon who escaped from Tibet to give her child a better life.
    Tibetan refugee children in day care in Darjeeling, India. Tibetan...
  • Three young girls are dressed in their finest holiday chubas, traditional Tibetan dresses, for the upcoming Losar new years celebrations in Dharamsala, India. Since 1959 thousands of Tibetans have now raised their families in the exiled Tibetan community of Dharamsala, home to the Dalai Lama. As the older refugee generation passes on, the next find themselves hoping for the freedom of a land they have never seen. Meanwhile, Tibetan refugees strive to assimilate into the modern twenty-first century while maintaining their Tibetan identity. While some Tibetans have opted to become citizens of another society, most continue to live in limbo as guests of other nations. The question lingers, how does a culture survive without a country?<br /> “Our aim is to educate our children as best we can to integrate with the rest of the modern world as well as maintain their traditional background,” says Tsering Dhondup of the S.O.S Children’s school. “We feel it’s important to raise them in a Tibetan environment and for them to grow up with a sense of identity in relation to their own culture.”
    Three young girls are dressed in their finest holiday chubas,...
  • Boudhanath Stupa, Nepal.With more than 6500 Tibetan Buddhist monasteries destroyed in Tibet after the 1959 Chinese invasion many of the monks and lamas have fled their homeland. New monasteries in Boudha, Kathmandu, Nepal have been rebuilt to house the exiled refugees and the new generation of enthusiastic young monks. A Tibetan lama has died and there are 100,000 butter lamps lit in his memory.
    Boudhanath Stupa, Nepal.With more than 6500 Tibetan Buddhist monasteries...
  • Celebrating losar, Tibetan New Year, at Boudha stupa in Kathmnadu Nepal.
    Celebrating losar, Tibetan New Year, at Boudha stupa in Kathmnadu Nepal.
  • Tibtean monk living in exile in Kathmandu, Nepal.
    Tibtean monk living in exile in Kathmandu, Nepal.
  • Tibetan mother and child living as Tibetan refugees in Nepal.
    Tibetan mother and child living as Tibetan refugees in Nepal.
  • Nepal, Kathmandu. Tibetan lama filling staue with prayers. He wears a mask so not to contaminate them.
    Nepal, Kathmandu. Tibetan lama filling staue with prayers. He wears a...
  • Khampa nomad in Labrang, Amdo Tibet.<br /> The Khampas, from the eastern Kham region are often seen wearing long braids adorned with red tassels and coins tied to the top of their heads. They walk with bravado as their silver ornate knives swing from their waists. When the Chinese first began their slow but steady infiltration into eastern Tibet in 1949 it was these brave nomadic warriors who fiercely wielded their swords to protect their land and their newly instated Tibetan leader, the young fourteenth Dalai Lama and aid him into his escape into exile in India. Some 130,000 refugees soon followed, but nearly six million were left behind.
    Khampa nomad in Labrang, Amdo Tibet. The Khampas, from the eastern Kham...
  • Nepal, Kathmnadu. Tibetan man and his grandon.
    Nepal, Kathmnadu. Tibetan man and his grandon.
  • Nepal, Kathmnadu. Boudhanath, Tibetan stupa at night.
    Nepal, Kathmnadu. Boudhanath, Tibetan stupa at night.
  • Tibean lama in puja in Nepal.
    Tibean lama in puja in Nepal.
  • Tibetan lamas in puja, in Nepal.
    Tibetan lamas in puja, in Nepal.
  • Chundan, Tibetan lama living in exile in Pokhara Nepal. Was held prisoner for years in Tibet by teh Chinese.
    Chundan, Tibetan lama living in exile in Pokhara Nepal. Was held...
  • Nepal, Kathmnadu. Domze, Tibetan refugee girl gets her first doll.
    Nepal, Kathmnadu. Domze, Tibetan refugee girl gets her first doll.
  • Nepal, Kathmandu. Tibetan refugee woman at Jawlikhel Tibetan refugee center.
    Nepal, Kathmandu. Tibetan refugee woman at Jawlikhel Tibetan refugee...
  • Tibetans tying new prayerflags on Buddhist Boudha Stupa for the new year.
    Tibetans tying new prayerflags on Buddhist Boudha Stupa for the new year.
  • Tibetan Muslim boy in Manigango, Kham, Tibet.<br /> Although Tibetans are predominately Buddhist a small percentage have intermarried with Islamic traders who have worked their way across Tibet in past years. The Muslim Tibetans respect the Dalai Lama as their political leader but not their spiritual leader. Fearing religious persecution when the Chinese invaded their country, many were forced to flee with other Tibetans; most have resettled in Muslim-based Kashmir.
    Tibetan Muslim boy in Manigango, Kham, Tibet. Although Tibetans are...
  • Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, peace activist and 1967 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, living in exile at his home in Plum Village, Bergerac, France.<br /> Thay, as Thich Nhat Hanh is affectionately called, had just finished leading a teaching at his Plum Village meditation center. An avid human rights activist, he was banned from his home country of Vietnam in the 1970’s and went into exile in France. Only recently has he been allowed to return and visit his monastery, Tu Hieu Temple, in Hue, Vietnam.
    Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, peace...
  • Woman and child from the Padaung tribe in Mae Hon Song, Northern Thailand.<br /> The Padaung-Karen tribe are also known as long-neck or giraffe women. Many of the women have been wearing the neck coils since the age of five, which pushes their clavicles downward, giving them the illusion of having a longer neck. There are thought to be about 7000 originally from Burma/Myanmar, although about 500 have fled the civil unrest of their country to live on the Thai border where the women weave handicrafts and the men work in the fields. The Padaung don’t receive refugee status by the Thai government and now rely on the generosity of curious tourists.
    Woman and child from the Padaung tribe in Mae Hon Song, Northern...
  • N. Uganda, Kitgum. This woman put up with years of abuse by her alcoholic husband. When he took a new younger wife she tried committing suicide. The overdose ended up killing her fetus. Now lives in her parents compound and is banned from seeing her other 5 children. She suffers from depression waiting in limbo to see if she will be prosecuted and where her life will go from here She suffers from severe depression. PCAF social worker, Jean Laker, visits in her home.
    N. Uganda, Kitgum. This woman put up with years of abuse by her...
  • N. Uganda, Kitgum District. Jean, a PCAF social worker, listens to her patient as “Christina,” 52, describes the challenges & loneliness of losing her family during the war. She suffers from epilepsy and was badly burned when having a seizure. She fell in a kitchen fire, burning her face and fusing her fingers and is now afraid to be on her own. Her children rarely visit. Her neighbor helps her with food or getting her medication from the clinic. She is depressed and suicidal.
    N. Uganda, Kitgum District. Jean, a PCAF social worker, listens to her...
  • N. Uganda, Kitgum District. Namokana Outreach Center where patients come for initial PCAF psychiatric assessment. Women--wives and mothers-- meet as part of group therapy to discuss their problems and concerns. How to handle their grown children and husbands abusing drinking and drugs due to PTSD and mental distress is a major topic of discussion.
    N. Uganda, Kitgum District. Namokana Outreach Center where patients come...
  • N. Uganda, Kitgum District. Peter C. Alderman Foundation project working with young men who are suffering from PTSD from their years of being forced to fight as child soldiers during the war. Most were abducted from their families by rebels from ages 8-12 and are now returning as young men in their late teens, early 20's & trying to assimilate back into their local community. They were forced to kill family members, eat the livers & drink blood of the people they killed as a ritual of recruitment. Many have seen their parents & most of their family members killed. Most struggle with alcohol & drug abuse & depression. PCAF offers counseling & group therapy. A PCAF social worker, Joseph Masaba Bongomin, visits with them in their community. Gabrial Omalling, a former child soldier, now runs his own bakery.
    N. Uganda, Kitgum District. Peter C. Alderman Foundation project working...
  • N. Uganda, Gulu District. “Patrick, “ a PCAF patient is drunk at mid-day. He is one of many alcohol & drug abusers among the male survivors of war. Patrick cried as he showed photos of his brother killed by rebels, another who committed suicide and describes being held captive during wartime. He drinks to sleep and escape, but his violent temper takes over often threatening to kill the two wives he lives with. They hide the machetes in the thatched roof.
    N. Uganda, Gulu District. “Patrick, “ a PCAF patient is drunk at...
  • N. Uganda, Gulu District. Mentally distressed patients are first evaluated through an initial clinical evaluation process. This assessment determines if the person has been affected by PTSD or is mentally suffering from war related issues in which case PCAF will then take them as a patient. Some patients, especially children suffer from other mental health issues, such a psychosis, epilepsy or other mental illnesses that are more suitably treated through the local mental health hospital.
    N. Uganda, Gulu District. Mentally distressed patients are first...
  • N. Uganda, Gulu District. Joshua Tugumisirize, a visiting PCAF psychiatrist & Freddy Odong, a PCAF nurse, perform a psychiatric assessment and counseling at the local rural clinic in Gulu. “Ruth” lost her arm during the war and struggles with depression. She has no husband but a young son helps her. “Ruth” walks many miles to come to the rural clinic where she gets periodic counseling & treatment. It took nearly an hour just to drive to her home.
    N. Uganda, Gulu District. Joshua Tugumisirize, a visiting PCAF...
  • Gulu, Uganda, Africa. “David,” 16, is brought to the local mental hospital by his mother & father for an initial psychiatric evaluation for his violent outbursts. With so few resources to address mental health in developing countries the care usually falls to the family members and the process can often be overwhelming.
    Gulu, Uganda, Africa. “David,” 16, is brought to the local mental...
  • Africa, N. Uganda, Gulu. A mentally distressed man struggles as he’s brought to the Gulu mental health clinic to be assessed. With so few resources to address mental health in Uganda the care usually falls to the family members. This man was brought to the local mental health clinic by his wife and brother to be evaluated and, as is often the case, he was so violent that he had to be sedated.
    Africa, N. Uganda, Gulu. A mentally distressed man struggles as he’s...
  • N. Uganda. With so few resources to address mental health in developing countries the care usually falls to the family. It’s often traumatic & frightening for caretakers when they have to bring their distressed loved ones in to be evaluated by a healthcare professional. The family of one patient sheds tears from the sheer exhaustion of the experience. One arm of PCAF is community outreach & training to the supporters and families of those affected by mental health.
    N. Uganda. With so few resources to address mental health in developing...
  • N. Uganda. With so few resources to address mental health in developing countries the care usually falls to the family. It’s often traumatic & frightening for caretakers when they have to bring their distressed loved ones in to be evaluated by a healthcare professional. The family of one patient sheds tears from the sheer exhaustion of the experience. One arm of PCAF is community outreach & training to the supporters and families of those affected by mental health.
    N. Uganda. With so few resources to address mental health in developing...
  • N. Uganda, Kitgum District. “Samuel,” (37 yrs), had 3 brothers who were killed by rebels. He has HIV AIDS & suffers from depression. He can't walk & shifts from place to place on his buttocks, elevating his swollen feet from the ceiling. He relies on visits from a PCAF social worker and help from a neighbors & a sister for food, water & his ART/HIV medication. His Christian beliefs prevent him from suicide, thus continuing on with what he feels is a worthless & futile life.
    N. Uganda, Kitgum District. “Samuel,” (37 yrs), had 3 brothers who...
  • Africa, N. Uganda, Gulu. With so few resources to address mental health in developing countries the care usually falls to the family members. The process is often traumatic and frightening for caretakers when they have to bring their distressed loved ones in to be evaluated by a healthcare professional. This man was brought to the local mental health clinic by his wife and brother to be evaluated and was so violent that he had to be sedated. His wife holds the ropes that were used to restrain him and weeps from the sheer exhaustion of the experience.
    Africa, N. Uganda, Gulu. With so few resources to address mental health...
  • N. Uganda, Gulu District, Africa. Mentally distressed patients are evaluated through an initial clinical psychiatric process. This assessment determines if they are affected by PTSD or mentally suffering from war related issues. Some patients, especially children suffer from other mental health issues, such as psychosis, epilepsy or other illnesses that may be treated through the local mental health hospital.
    N. Uganda, Gulu District, Africa. Mentally distressed patients are...
  • N. Uganda, Kitgum. Much of PCAF’s work is focused on aiding child soldiers. These young men, now in their late teens, have lived through unspeakable horrors of abuse and violence since their abduction as children. Many witnessed most of their family members killed. They now struggle to assimilate back into the community suffering PTSD & depression, alcohol & drug abuse. A PCAF social worker, Joseph Bongomin, visits with them for individual counseling and group therapy in their community.
    N. Uganda, Kitgum. Much of PCAF’s work is focused on aiding child...
  • N. Uganda, Gwendiya, Gulu District. Many of the men try to evade their nightmares with alcohol and women suffer the effects. When I first accompanied one of the few local social workers to visit Patrick in his thatched house in Gulu, Uganda, he was in a drunken stupor at midday. Patrick was quick to break down in tears as he described his favorite brother that had been killed by rebels, the other who had committed suicide and the hardships he endured when he was taken into captivity. He first showed us photos of his brothers and then others with his wife, in the happier days before he became a broken man. He told us he needs to drink to get through his day and even more to sleep at night. Even though he still lives with his first wife he has taken a second younger wife, which is common in this area. This usually causes jealousy and tension in the house but more recently the two women have banded together. When Patrick gets drunk he threatens to kill them. The women told us they now hide the machetes in their thatched roof.
    N. Uganda, Gwendiya, Gulu District. Many of the men try to evade their...
  • N. Uganda, Gulu District. “Patrick, “ a PCAF patient is drunk at mid-day. He is one of many alcohol & drug abusers among the male survivors of war. Patrick cried as he showed photos of his brother killed by rebels, another who committed suicide and describes being held captive during wartime. He drinks to sleep and escape, but his violent temper takes over often threatening to kill the two wives he lives with. They hide the machetes in the thatched roof.
    N. Uganda, Gulu District. “Patrick, “ a PCAF patient is drunk at...
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