The way our CARING & SHARING program works is easy. You SHARE some of your dollars and we will match your CARING & SHARING amount dollar for dollar up to $100! All CARING & SHARING dollars, yours and our matching amount, will be given to IDEAS, a non-profit organization and will be used to help the Nosu people of Southwest China, an impoverished and forgotten minority people group.
The Chinese government recognizes 56 minority people groups. The Nosu are included in what is known as the Yi minority group. The traditional language of the Nosu is called Yi and it is completely different from Mandarin Chinese that is the most common language spoken by the majority Han Chinese. Many Nosu speak only Yi and cannot read either Yi or Mandarin.
There are about six million Nosu living in the mountains of southern Sichuan and northern Yunnan province in Southwest China. The Nosu are primarily subsistence farmers and live on an income of less than the equivalent of USD$200 dollars per year. Their land holdings are relatively small, land is marginally fertile, and the altitude is high resulting in short growing seasons. Primary crops include potatos, corn, and huajiao pepper.They also raise pigs and chickens. The Nosu love their music and dance!
Some Nosu men are migrant workers and may only return to their homes once a year. Others may find employment in surrounding towns, but unemployment for young men is very high.
The majority of the Nosu face a number of challenges including poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, lack of employment opportunities, lack of education and lack of available health care.
