We are delighted to announce the publication of MY WORLD, MY VIEW: Photographs by the girls of SOS Bahini, Pokhara, Nepal, by Sue Carpenter, co-founder Asha-Nepal. Published by Asha Publications in association with the British Council

Available from Asha-Nepal, 13 High Street, Emberton, Bucks MK46 5JB (please send a cheque for £15 plus £2.50 p&p.) and from bookshops in Kathmandu and Pokhara, Nepal

Girls in Nepal have no voice. They are not encouraged to have opinions or develop their individuality. Those from disadvantaged backgrounds are at the bottom of the heap. Photography has proved a valuable tool for encouraging self-expression and building self-esteem. The nine-month My World, My View photography project was set up and led by British journalist, photographer and Asha-Nepal trustee Sue Carpenter, to help such girls in Nepal to find their voice and develop the confidence to use it.

 The 22 participants, aged 6 to 17, live in the care of SOS Bahini (Save our Sisters Bahini), an organisation in Pokhara that provides family homes to girls who were abused, neglected, abandoned, homeless, orphaned or in other desperate situations. None of them had ever handled a camera before. They were given cameras (both conventional and digital) and photography tuition and encouraged to document their world through their own eyes.

 Their work proved so engaging and vibrant that, after exhibiting their work in Kathmandu, the British Council in Nepal funded this book of their photographs and testimonies, My World, My View. This is an important outcome for the girls, to validate their talents and to give them a means of earning their own income. It has also given them a forum to address some of the issues facing females in Nepal – gender discrimination, violence, abuse, child labour. The book and photographic prints are for sale, with proceeds going to Asha-Nepal to create a new SOS Bahini home for more girls. A royalty will also go direct to the participants' individual savings accounts.