In 2001, the All China Women's Federation (ACWF) and the China
Women's Development Fund (CWDF) sponsored the "Love of Earth, Water
Collection for Mothers" project, aiming to provide solutions to
water shortage problems for women and children in western China. In
the three years of its operation, the lives of many people have
been greatly enhanced with clean and adequate water facilities.
Li
Chunfen is an ordinary country woman living in Shaping village,
Shaanxi Province. A year ago, the water that she drank and used for
her domestic activities was pumped from a well that provided water
for three villages and about 2,000 people. Everyday she had to walk
several miles and carry water back at three or four in the morning.
They planted broomcorn millet on their farmland as it resists the
problems brought by drought. Her 10-year-old son, walking along the
cliff to gather water for the family, slipped and died.
Li's village was listed last year as a recipient of the water
project. Containers for gathering and collecting water were built
all over the village. Everyone has since benefited. Li Chunfen
said, "Now if we want a drink, all we need do is turn on a tap. We
can even take showers everyday, like people in the cities." She
wants to build another large container to improve their lives
further.
The water project was started in 2001 and has invested 98 million
yuan (US$11 million) in a special fund. Supplemented by local
government, about 80,000 water containers and 1,000 small-scale
supply projects have been operating in western China. Some 780,000
people have benefited.
Statistics show that 99 percent of the families who received help
moved their washing activities from the river or pond to inside
their home. People can now shower daily instead of rarely and the
income of 76 percent of the families has indirectly benefited.
Investigation of Chongqing has also showed that the incidence of
gynecological disease has decreased from 90 to 35 percent in the
city.
(China.org.cn by Wu Nanlan March 5, 2003)