A new initiative is currently being implemented by the China Women Development Foundation (CWDF) and will benefit more than 1,700 rural students and teachers in Gulin County in southwest China's Sichuan Province by providing them with clean and safe drinking water. [mothercellar.cn]

A new initiative is currently being implemented by the China Women Development Foundation (CWDF) and will benefit more than 1,700 rural students and teachers in Gulin County in southwest China’s Sichuan Province by providing them with clean and safe drinking water.

The Water Cellar for Mothers Project - Safe School Drinking Water facilities are to be completed in five primary schools by August 31 this year.

This project is one of the main charity programs launched by the CWDF, aiming to solve the problem of unsafe drinking water for school children in impoverished rural areas, by improving the drinking water and sanitation facilities and also by improving public knowledge on safe water-drinking.

Gulin County is one of the most seriously poverty-stricken counties in China. The school children in this county face a challenging situation when it comes to drinking safe and clean water. This March, the CWDF donated 500,000 yuan (U.S. $81,165) to improve the drinking-water facilities in five local primary schools in the county, with each school receiving 100,000 yuan. By June of this year, construction had been underway on the relevant facilities.

The CWDF has attached great importance to the Water Cellar for Mothers Project - School Safe Drinking Water initiative since it was launched in 2011 in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the Water Cellar for Mothers Project. The CWDF worked out a five-year development plan for the Water Cellar for Mothers Project to expand the project’s coverage, improve the project’s quality and carry out relevant updating programs, including the safe school drinking water initiative. 

The Safe School Drinking Water initiative is aimed at improving the current situation of drinking water at boarding schools in remote rural areas by adding safe drinking water and sanitation facilities, installing water-purifying devices and promoting drinking water safety, water environmental protection as well as water-saving knowledge among students. 

The Water Cellar for Mothers Project is committed to helping people in western China, especially women, to shake off poverty caused by water shortages. 

(Source: mothercellar.cn/ Translated and edited by Women of China)