China
We focus on rural poor communities in the mountainous regions of the provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Chongqing.
300 million rural poor in China do not have access to safe water

We focus on rural poor communities in the mountainous regions of the provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Chongqing.
300 million rural poor in China do not have access to safe water
Containing a striking variety of ecological niches and ethnic groups, the Yungui Plateau in Southwestern China is recognised as one of the major biological and cultural diversity hotspots in the world. It is dominated by two distinct areas – an area of high mountain plateau averaging 2,000 metres and an area of rolling hills and deep gorges. This unique mountain geographic landscape and monsoon climate makes it highly vulnerable to various hazards like droughts, floods, earthquakes and landslides. The plateau is also the source of many of Asia’s great rivers including the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra River.
CHINA
Some areas in China are prone to high levels of fluorine, arsenic and other heavy metals. It was found that 190 million Chinese drink water with unhealthy levels of hazardous materials, among which 63 million are exposed to high concentrations of fluorine.
In rural mountainous communities, the elderly and young often have to spend hours walking across dangerous terrain to collect safe water from spring water sources located in forests and caves on mountain peaks.
China is a strong monsoon region and subject to significant climate variations, leading to frequent droughts and floods. These conditions are further intensified by extreme rainfall run-off and flash floods in the wet season as well as water scarcity in the dry season due to the nature of the mountain landscape and climate in the provinces we work in.
Accessible clean water sources are often poorly protected while available water infrastructure is usually poorly designed, constructed and maintained, leading to contamination of water due to agricultural run-off and fecal contaminants. Poor hygiene and environmental awareness further compounds this issue.