The People

The Akha

This tribe originate in Tibet. The villages of the Akha are located in the mountains of China, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and northern Thailand. There are approvimately 60,000 Akha living in Thailand's northern provinces of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. The typical Akha village is unique among the hilltribes, distinguished by their carved wooden gates, raised houses on low stilts, and hillside farmland.

The Akha are the most at risk of being sexually exploited. Of all the hill tribes of Thailand they can be destitute:

• The Poorest of all the Hilltribes
• Least Educated
• Highest Rate of Drug Addiction
• Highest Rate of AIDS Infection
• Highest Mortality Rate