myrna balk artist printmaker sculptor stone bamboo

Photographs: Nepal 2001 All of the photographs were taken in 2001 when Myrna was invited to the village of Kot Goan in the district of Gorkha, Nepal. Bishnu Maya Pariyar who is from that village was then attending college in Boston. She wanted to communicate something of the life of Dalit village women to people around the world and wanted Myrna to help them tell their stories. You can read about Bishnu at edwon.org Above left: Maya, a widow with village children.
Village children on festival day.	Grandmother, never went to school, had five children.	Grandmother, never went to a doctor.	Grandmother, had her children in the field.
Maya, Bishnu's mother. She and her husband were dedicated to the education of their five daughters .	Bimila, born under an astrological curse, not allowed to go to school .	Bishnu, village leader and organizer of micro-finance groups .	Meeting of one of 42 micro-finance groups.
Kanchi and her daughters .	Kanchi and her sister-in-law. Once shunned for her outspokenness, Kachi became respected in the NGO .	Deserted mother and her children .	Gita, age 22, cooking in a room without ventilation .