The Tibetan nomadic people of East Tibet live above 4,000 metres on the Tibetan plateau. Winters are long and harsh, down to -40° C. Known as Khampas, they are a friendly and fiercely independent people with a proud and rich cultural history.

They are amongst the poorest in China, with annual incomes of less than US$150 per year in places like Sershul. Without help, remote Tibetan communities are effectively excluded from the benefits of the rapidly developing Chinese economy, yet suffer the disruption to their traditional way of life that flows from this development:

• Few local businesses are owned and operated by Tibetans
• Few government officals are Tibetan
• Most nomads are illiterate in both the Tibetan and Chinese languages
• Most are subsistence nomadic pastoralists with little cash income to pay for schools, health services or modern goods.