The Australian Embassy-Beijing provided 45,000RMB which, with a local contribution of 2,500RMB (45,000RMB total), financed the purchase of 50 solar electricity generating panels--one for each of 50 Tibetan households in Rong steng (Rongdeng) Tibetan Village, Chos ya gung (Chuyagong), Sde rong (Derong) County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, PR China. The project benefits 308 local Tibetans and recipient households by providing children bright light that allows them to study at night; residents are able to easily transport the panels when they move into the mountains in summer and live in tents; villagers are healthier because they inhale less smoke from flame-based lighting; and women are able to work less intensively because they can now also do work at night with light from the panels. They are also able to earn more for for they no longer need to go to the mountains and collect wood that they burned (before the project), for lighting. The project has provided a sustainable income-generating stream for the fifty recipient families in Rongsdeng Village by reducing the amount of money families currently spend on candles and by increasing the amount of butter families sell (before the project, butter was burned for lighting). Each family received a panel, eight light bulbs, and a box of fuses. Instructions were given on how to use the panels properly and what to do if there were problems with the panels. Rongsdeng Village is 85 kilometers west of the county town; 740 kilometers from Kangding, the prefecture center and 1,350 kilometers from Chengdu City, the capital of Sichuan Province. The village has 50 households with about 308 residents. All residents are Tibetan. Each family has an average of 5 members, representing three or four generations. The majority of village residents are under the age of 65. The village is predominately an agricultural community; thus the majority of the villagers are farmers. However, in 2002, due to the threat of deforestation and increased environmental degradation in the region, the local government provided a small annual stipend to families of about 200 RMB per mu; the average family in owns around 8 mu. As the only source of income for the farmers, this stipend must cover all household expenses including food, clothing, school tuition and miscellaneous fees and taxes, among others. During the summer and fall many villagers go to the county town to earn money from various non-agricultural enterprises to supplement their income. We sincerely thank the Australian Embassy for supporting this project.