The British Chamber in Shanghai and the British Consulate Shanghai in Beijing provided 77,800 RMB that, combined with a local contribution of 70,400 RMB, provided running water to solar lighting to 45 impoverished and marginalized Tibetan households (275 Tibetans). Ms. Saisangji, a recipient, said, “I’m now 70 years old and I have fetched water for my entire life. Fetching water is very difficult and it is a very big burden for the village women and girls. Before the project, my daughter-in-law had to fetch water 2-3 times a day. Each trip took almost 45 minutes. Now we don't need to fetch water because we have a water tap in our home yard, and the supply of water is ample. This project has alleviated the big burden of village women and girls.” Before the project, villagers fetched water from a river 1-1.5 kilometers away. The project piped water from a clean spring. Since July 15, 2007, every village home has had a tap in their courtyard and a bountiful and clean supply of water. The main responsibility for fetching water was with girls and women and was a time-consuming activity. On average, a village family spent 2.5 hours a day to fetch water. This time can now be spent on other household activities, generating income and as much-deserved free time. The river from which they fetched water is unclean and untreated. The river was used as drinking water for both people and animals and also used to irrigate fields. The river is down a steep slope from the village, which makes carrying water uphill difficult, especially for older people and children during the times young people are away from home. Elders and children had to carry water in kettles. While the villagers were out working to earn cash income, some people had to stay at home to collect fuel and fetching water. These problems related to water have now all been eliminated, thanks to this grant. [Administrative Location: Juejia Village > Dongge Township, Guide County, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture > Qinghai Province > PR China]