the challenge

Ladakh is one of the highest and driest places on earth. A high altitude desert situated at 2,500 to 3,500 metres above sea level, where temperatures drop below -25°C in winter and remote villages are cut off by heavy snow for several months each year.

With a short growing season, hunger and malnutrition are a constant challenge for low-income families who do not have enough food to last them through the long, brutal winters.

Malnutrition stunts growth and causes permanent brain damage in children. Many kids in remote regions of Ladakh have disabilities. Child mortality rates are high and life expectancy low.