Introduction

Welcome to Zhaojue – Cradle of the Nosu People!! Zhaojue County, situated in the heart of Liang Shan Prefecture (part of the Yi Autonomous Region) in southern Sichuan, is the cradle of the Yi people in China. There is a saying, "you have not visited Liang Shan if you have not been to Zhaojue!"

The county has 7 administrative districts and a population of 220,000, 97.3 % of which are Yi. The majority are traditional farmers and their main livelihood is based on agriculture and animal husbandry. Up until the 1950s, the Yi people of Liang Shan had a slave-owning society and because of obvious geographical difficulties, have for many generations been isolated from outside influence. This has severely affected the county's overall economic growth and development.

Although Han Chinese refer to them as "Yi", they refer to themselves as "Nosu" (the Black People) The Nosu are fairly tall, with aquiline features and an air of nobility despite their obvious poverty. Men usually wear a dark colored turban and a cloak with tassels called cha-er-wa, while the women wear beautiful red, black and yellow embroidered blouses with headscarves and elaborate silver jewelry. The Yi people are warm, friendly and very hospitable.

MSI's Work

MSI Professional Services, in partnership with the County government, has been serving in Zhaojue for 11 years in 4 main areas.

• The Community Health and Medical projects were launched in 1995. They include medical training and specialty consultation for the county hospital, village health worker training, midwife training, school health education, safe water and a biogas toilet project. We also care for marginalized groups such as lepers, and create education opportunities for poor village girls. All these projects aim at a holistic approach to bring total health to the people and assisting them to improve their livelihood.
• The Youth Center is a joint venture of MSI and the local county government. It aims to reach out to young people, putting emphasis on character building, providing vocational training and recreational activities, and helping them to set up micro-businesses. Since its inception in October 1999, it has expanded to include various types of vocational training and, with a recent donation from the government; it aspires to increase its student intake.
• The Livestock project started in 1996 seeks to improve the livelihood of farmers by lending them sheep and providing training in sustainable sheep farming. It also seeks to work closely with farming communities training them in sustainable livestock production and pasture development. Apart from working with farming communities, it also provides technical and management training for local district vets.
• We began our English project in 1999 by placing full-time English teachers in the local schools. An educational sponsorship scholarship program was started in 2000 to assist poor students to continue with their education. Our teachers play an important part in visiting students and their families giving them moral support.

Opportunities You are welcome to this mesmerizing Nosu land to live and serve in their midst with your relevant skills, and more importantly, a loving heart that for their holistic well-being.