Nomadic mothers

• Prize
• Photographer
  Didier Mayhew, France

In the outskirts of the major cities of Nepal, hundreds of landless families, coming from
the Southern plains of Terai, live under tents on waste grounds. Divided into different
clans, they speak either Bhojpuri or Maithili and lead a semi-nomadic life, moving from
one place to another in search of work and income. Their camps are barely visible and
exposed to harsh conditions, especially during monsoon.
While their husbands are away, working as labourers or itinerant sellers, the women live
in the tents and look after the children. During the day, two or three mothers keep the
camp with the children while the others walk barefoot in the neighbouring city. Some of
them beg for food, others collect old cloth that they wash and cut into pieces to be sold
to the mechanics.
For three years, I have accompanied several families from the South East District of
Sarlahi. They have lived together in five different camps in the valleys of Kathmandu and
Pokhara. The photographs presented here are part of a body of work focused on the daily
life in the camps and, more specifically, on the question of nomadic motherhood.

Before getting into photography, Didier worked for many years with refugees, homeless and victims of trauma. His professional path, as an anthropologist and a psychologist, led him to conduct researches in the Himalayan regions where he decided to remain. Since 2009, he lives in Nepal and acts as volunteer within a local group to bring support to landless families living on the margins of Nepalese society. His immersion in the slums, the dumps and the nomadic camps made him choose to dedicate himself to photography and in particular to long-term documentaries, with a focus on social issues that remain little-known. After having documented the daily life of an itinerant group, he spent most of the year 2015 among remote families affected by the Nepal earthquake.

Awards PX3 - Prix de la photographie Paris 2014
2nd prize. Portraiture Family
3rd prize. Portraiture Culture
3rd prize. Portraiture Culture
3rd prize. Portraiture Children
3rd prize. Portraiture Children
3rd prize. Portraiture Family
3rd prize. Portraiture Other

Les Photographies de l'Année 2014
2nd place. Humanist Category

PX3 - Prix de la photographie Paris 2013
People's Choice
1st prize. Feature Story Category
1st prize. General News Category
1st prize. Children Category
3rd prize. Portraiture Category
3rd prize. Feature Story Category

Les Photographies de l'Année 2013
2nd place. Humanist Category
3rd place. Portrait Category

IPA - International Photography Awards 2013
3rd place. Country Pick