This is the second part of the two-part photo story we’ve created from our conversation with Clive. The interview picks up where we left off after last week’s photo story. You can read part one here.

“The other thing that strikes you along with the remoteness of Ghusel is the hardship of life in Nepal. When we come back to the UK, and people say, ‘Wow, life must be so different out there in Nepal’, we have to stop and remember that this is how the majority of people in the world live. We take for granted the relative ease of our life and we forget what a true blessing it is. When you see how people are living in these remote locations, it’s very humbling.”

“In Nepal, you live an outdoor life… when it’s cold, you warm up by sitting with your back to the sun. They call it घाम तापनु – gham tapnu, ‘topping up (or replenishing) with the sun’.”

“I love this shot. Soumy has his arm around his new goat, and the love that he has for his animals… it’s real affection. One of the reasons it stood out to me is that, in Nepal, animals aren’t always treated well. And yet, here’s a guy who loves his goats, and it’s tied up with the fact that it’s his future; it’s his livelihood. These days, children in Nepal don’t ask each other, ‘What would you like to do when you grow up?’ They ask, ‘Which country do you want to go to?’ So, it’s lovely when you see someone who, given an opportunity, has run with it. It’s like the parable of the talents.”

You can hear from Soumy, a farmer in Ghusel, in the next issue of Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine.

“Handwashing is also something that we take so much for granted in the UK. Washing in Nepal is often more about being ritualistically clean rather than microbiologically clean. But, people are now washing their hands, having been taught the reasons behind it and the correct technique (just as we were during Covid!). It makes a huge difference – as long as people have access to clean water. The two things go hand-in-hand.”

“What I loved about my time in Ghusel was being part of a team working together – everyone contributing to help make things better. It was a little taste of heaven. In the right-hand photo, [BMS partner worker] Amos is showing Anita the Good Land feature video. There’s acceptance, trust and a mutual respect in the interaction between the field staff and the clients. It’s a partnership.”

“Education is another thing that we can take so much for granted. In Nepal, you see the value that people place on education. Anita is not from Ghusel – she came from the north-west of Kathmandu. She had the opportunity to be educated, and she wants her children, and girls in general, to be better educated. She is very eloquent, considered and thoughtful. She’s another person who, given the opportunity, could have a far-reaching impact in her role as a teacher. Her passion for educating girls is tied up in so many things – it prevents trafficking, for example.”

“This photo was of a group of children going to school. One of the little girls just happened to turn and look at me, and her face caught the light. It’s just lovely to see children walking to school and enjoying it and being supported by their parents. But, taking a child out of the community and educating them takes them out of the work pool, so parents have to believe that it’s worth it. And educating girls is seen as almost an altruistic activity, because when women get married, all their earnings go to the husband’s family.”

The Nepali village of Ghusel is beautiful – both as it appears in the Good Land feature film that tells the hopes and dreams of the villagers who live there (shot on location by a Nepali team), and in the photos that accompany it. But behind these beautiful images is a real community of people – people whose lives have carried on even now the cameras have left. Meeting those people made a lasting impression on Clive Thomas, the photographer who shot all the images for the appeal. We asked him to share some of the photos that best represent his time visiting the project in Ghusel village.

“This photo and the shots around it were captured when we revisited Ghusel [after the initial filming]. What I really like about these images is that they show the entire community in this field of corn, all working together. For me, that’s something that typifies the traditional Nepali way of relating to each other – something which is not seen so much in the bigger cities. The whole village is working together, they’re all out in the field weeding, but they’re having fun. It’s hard work but it’s community time – it’s part of life. It’s something that we’ve lost in the UK where we tend to compartmentalise work, rest and play. Here in Nepal, it’s all rolled in together… These photos demonstrate something of what it means to live life in all its fullness – that’s how we were designed to live.”

“I love to just sit down and chat with people – I’m a bit of an extrovert and it helps that I speak Nepali. I like to get to know people, to spend time with them – to hear about their joys and their hardships. When our filming plans were interrupted one rainy morning, we spent from 5 am to 10 am in a teashop, just sitting and chatting with people. That was how our conversation with Gurratan*, a local Nepali politician came about, and that chance encounter allowed us to hear really important feedback about the project. It’s a good reminder that we need to give space to allow God to work and not to pack in as much as possible.”

You can hear from Gurratan, a ward leader in Ghusel, in the next issue of Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine.

“Everybody is created in God’s image, and when I’m taking photos, I want to show the character and the beauty of that person. It doesn’t matter what their circumstances, everybody is beautiful.”

“The interaction with people – taking that photograph – and then showing them the outcome and seeing their smile is priceless. That’s the reason I love showing photographs on the back of the camera to people. They just light up. You really can use photography to encourage people as well as sharing their story.”

“When looking at these photos it’s easy to miss the hardship of life in Ghusel and especially its remoteness. The people who are sometimes overlooked in a project are the drivers. We put our life in their hands. These guys are really skilled – our driver was fantastic. I’m very keen on the idea of training drivers working for partner organisations to take photographs while on location – they often have the time to do so, speak the language, understand the project and the culture. They are such a valuable resource.”