The Tibetan People are primarily nomadic, herding yaks on the high plateau where little else can survive. These people are poor, very poor. Most are totally dependent on their yaks. Their tents are made of yak hair, they drink yak butter tea, eat curd (yoghurt) and Tsampa (ground roasted barley flour) mixed with the butter tea to form a paste or uncooked dough. They burn yak dung in their fires. Bags and mats are woven out of yak hair. As the yak is about the only animal that can survive at altitudes of over 14,000 ft there is not much chance of diversifying although there are a few sheep and goats. Many of these have to be brought into tents or mud houses at night so they do not die of the cold.

EDUCATION
The only education available to most nomads is at monasteries through becoming a monk or nun. The government has a few schools out in the nomadic areas. The schools that do exist are only for the few and better off . This education is only for 3 years. If you are a nomad with an income of only $2O per annum, there is little hope. By necessity the pupils who are lucky enough to get a place at a school have to board as their families are so far away and moving about.. This of course means that someone has to feed them. The parents are supposed to send 1 bag of Tsampa with a child. As sad as it may seem, many parents cannot afford the bag of tsampa. It is only with donations from Western charities that the schools can feed their pupils. The cost of providing food is 50 cents per child per day.

The government provides the teachers for the school but as it is strapped for cash, iteachers can be left with nothing for months on end. This is completely demoralizing In one school on the high plateau, there is not even any money to buy glass to repair broken window panes in dormitories. Needless to say this makes life pretty miserable. The children are so small and so alone.