To commemorate the 21st World Water Day on March 22, 2013, the China Women's Development Foundation (CWDF) and Sparta Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Company launched an activity in Fuping County and Yijun County in northwest China's Shaanxi Province to give donor representatives of the Water Cellar for Mothers Project the experience of living with water shortages. 

Activity participants fetch water in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.[water cellar for mothers project office]

Qin Guoying, secretary-general of the CWDF under the All-China Women's Federation, attended the activity with more than 40 donor representatives from seven provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. 

Qin Guoying, secretary-general of the China Women's Development Foundation under the All-China Women's Federation, pours water into a local villager's pot. [water cellar for mothers project office]

On the day, the participants were allowed to drink only 350ml of water, ate basic peasant food and fetched water using buckets to truly experience the water shortage conditions in China's arid western regions. 

A local villager wipes her mother's face.[water cellar for mothers project office]

"We were all out of breath while walking along the bumpy 2.6-kilometer long mountain road with buckets on our shoulders. It's hard to imagine local residents doing it all year round. As an entrepreneur, I will give more to support the project," said Shang Jianshen from the Sparta Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Company. 

The well in Dayushuwan Village supplies water to 160 residents. During the dry season, they have to wait for a night in order to collect a bucketful of water.[water cellar for mothers project office]

"The activity gave the participants the opportunity to interact with local residents. After this experience, we will implement the Water Cellar for Mothers Project immediately in Dayushuwan Village," said Qin.

With the support of Sparta Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Company, the project has built 300 rainwater-collection wells in Chaiyu Village in Weinan City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, solving the water shortage problems of 1,300 residents.

The project, co-launched by the ACWF and CWDF in 2001, aims to help residents, especially women, of western regions solve their water shortage problems and break free from poverty.

(Provided by water cellar for mothers project office)