india's nomads
"India's nomads are united by a history of poverty and exclusion that continues to this day: arguably the biggest human rights crisis you have never heard of."
John Lancaster, National Geographic, February 2010
VISIT GALLERY
nomads of changthang
The Changthang region is located approximately 300 kms south east from Leh, Ladakh on the north western plains of the Tibetan plateau in India.
Perched at an average elevation of 4,700 m, the Changthang (meaning Northern Plateau in Tibetan), is a high altitude desert. It is an impressionable landscape. One whose striking beauty, vast emptiness and unforgiving terrain will not vanish quickly from memory.
Muted brown mountains common to the Trans-Himalayan plateau contrast starkly against the white blanketed peaks separating mountain from sky. Its ridges and valleys tiger-striped with colours from a seemingly unnatural palette of dusty pinks, purples, emeralds and gold. Lush valley floors rich with grass lands and giant lakes, extend to the vastness of open desert plains. Carcasses lying on a parched earth cracked open by the extremities serve as a reminder of the daily fight needed to survive from such inhospitable terrain.
Surprisingly, while there is not a tree in sight, the Changthang is classified as a wildlife sanctuary and is home to many rare species of flora and fauna.
Birds such as the black necked crane, the Kiang (wild ass) and the Tibetan gazelle, a species on the brink of extinction, are found in the region's high altitude plains.
The Changthang is also home to the Changpa, some of India's poorest nomads.
a harsh reality
Relocating approximately 8-10 times a year, the Changpa move with their goats and sheep in search of the wetlands of the lake basin in summer and to the lower plains winter, when temperatures frequently drop below -30. Due to heavy snowfall, communities are often snowed in for up to 8 months a year.
The Changpa are nomadic pastoralists who originally migrated from Tibet in the 8th Century BC. They typically have no fixed address, mostly living in robos or tents made from yak wool which at times house up to 12 family members.
During the short summer months the sun beats fiercely on the higher plains. By contrast, winter is so brutally cold that families rarely venture outside. Conditions are extreme and life is tough.
Due to a lack of natural resources, families burn cow dung as fuel for heating lit with kerosene. Small metal stoves sit as the centrepiece to the robo, its chimney poking out through the open hole in the roof which offers little protection against the elements. The carbon dioxide fumes let off from these stoves combined with a diet lacking in essential nutrients contribute to the poor health experienced amongst many nomads.
Due to their isolation and remoteness the Changpa have limited or no access to government health or early childhood services. Maternal health issues are prevalent and children suffer from many curable illnesses which contribute to a high child mortality rate.
For many Changpa, medical services are often weeks away. Even if families can make the journey, many will not even try because they simply cannot afford to pay for treatment when they get there.
source of income
The main source of income for the Changpa is derived primarily from livestock. Basics such as grain, vegetables and cooking utensils are traded for meat, pashmina wool or milk and butter from goats and sheep which their families can do without.
However, many of the families we have visited lack the ability to derive an income from their herds. For families with a herd of less than 20 goats or sheep, their daily income is likely to equate to approximately 25-70 US cents a day, well below the 'extreme poverty' line set by the World Bank - less than $1.25US per day. Other families we have visited do not own any goats or sheep.
Welfare payments rarely find their way to many of these communities. While many parents hope their children will one day have an education, it is far from their agenda of every day survival.
restricted area
Much of the Changthang region is sealed off to foreigners due to its proximity to India’s disputed border area with Tibet.
In 2009, the Lille Fro Foundation was granted the rare privilege of visiting many communities in this region. We travelled to some parts where no foreigners have ever been before.
With the help of local government and village heads we are hoping to support over 100 children from this region in the next 2 years through our child sponsorship program.
In the future, we also hope to work with nomadic communities to focus on early childhood development initiatives such as portable classrooms and mobile libraries which can move together with the Changpa when they migrate in search for greener pastures each year.
Sponsor a child or support our ongoing projects by making a donation.
