Photo Gallery

This is a typical home for the semi-nomadic tribe who resettle at least twice a year, with a month of travel in between.

The whole family enters into the chores of caring for their buffalo. Here a boy climbs a tree for the leaves as feed for the herd.

The family unit is a strong fabric of their primitive lifestyle. Fatherhood is just as important as motherhood. The fathers are very affectionate.

Veterinarians give of their time and service to teach nomadic herdsmen how to care for their buffalo.

With proper immunizations and sanitation care, their herds will produce significant amounts of milk. Lack of training often results in poor herds.

The vets instruct the men how perisites affect their herds. The lesson is greatly enhanced as they view the problems through a microscope.

The older generation is concerned that the younger will loose their tribal/family values as they modernize and get educated.

These women, although Muslim, are not so bound by gender taboos. The parents hope that their girls will learn and advance as well as their boys.

The women need some basic hygiene, pre- and post-natal care as well as elementary midwifery training.

Sewing classes have been enthusiastically attended by the women to give them a skill. This one is handicapped with polio, but she now teaches others.

This is the second class of 2006. Others as well as some men have asked for the training.

Illiteracy runs high among the tribe - in the high 90%. Their mother tongue still needs to be officially put to a script and books published.

A few books have been published which are in the Urdu language, but written with the Hindi script. Teaching them the Hindi phonics is practical.

If more of the tribe could be taught to read the Hindi script, they could rise up in society and not always remain at subsistence levels.

It is important to maintain their traditional values and to not take on the ills of modern society as they try to improve their own living standards.