Religious festivals and fairs have always attracted people for miles. The women dazzle with their gay clothes, nose-rings and ear-rings, and colorful head scarves. And the jangle of the jewelry can be sensed during the traditional Garhwali dances. All the while, songs describing the hills and streams float through the air.

Recent years have brought new challenges to the people of these mountains. Many of these villages look like refugee camps. Practically deserted, inhabited only by women and children, grandmothers and old men. Now that there are no more wars or terraces to build, fewer jobs are available and consequetly the men migrate to the plains in search of work and wages. The women are the backbone of the homestead.

They are the only ones left to tend to the fields and look after the livestock. Not to mention the everyday chores of cooking, washing, finding fuel and fodder, and, let us not forget, raising the children.

Out here, medical facilities are hard to come by. When there is a "hospital" it is usually ill equipped and the doctor is invariably on leave. The sick must cover vast distances to find treatment. Often the sick opt to not even leave their homes, waiting until they get better or fail to get better. There are virtually no choices.

More and more roads are being built, but there are still huge tracts of land that are only accessible by foot. Even the established motor roads are unreliable, and transportation remains painful. In some places, people must walk for miles just to get water. Electricity is iffy at best. At night one can sit on the side of a mountain and watch the fireworks display below; one village after another illuminates and then drops into darkness.

Some villages have primary or middle schools, but children often sit at school waiting for teachers who never arrive. When class is in session, learning often doesn't seem to be on the agenda. Children strive to get their certification, which in the end does nothing for their advancement.

Through this adversity, the mountain people here remain strong and courageous and opportunities for positive change exist. We want to help start that change. We want to help create choices.