A good cause

Yunnan Environmental Development Institue (YEDI), a local non-profit concerned with alleviating rural water poverty, will hold a flea market in Lufeng County (禄丰县) on June 1. The event is specifically aimed at helping school children in a place where access to potable water is meager at the best of times.

YEDI organizers are raising money to buy ceramic water filters for students at Lufeng's Xiaocun primary school. A single filter has the capacity to provide safe drinking water for 20 students for five years. Previous drives of this nature have supplied students with a computer and printer as well as a few ceramic filters. Through recent fundraising initiatives YEDI has already purchased 15 filters to hand out on June 1.

Each filtration unit costs 320 yuan. YEDI encourages those who would like to contribute to pool money with their friends. The purchase of just a few more filters will cover the entire population of 450 students.

Annual income for many families in Lufeng County is less than 3,000 yuan (US$489) per year. Limited wages such as these make the purchase of water filtration devices nearly impossible. Families often struggle even to purchase school textbooks and season-appropriate clothing.

YEDI is looking for individuals who can bring items such as gently used shoes, books, toys, clothing and household goods to Lufeng. Once there, a flea market will give local children the opportunity to trade vegetables grown on their families' land for items brought from Kunming.

Schedule

08:30-09:45 Transportation from Kunming to Xiaocun Primary School
09:45-11:30 Welcoming performance by the students ending with the donation of water filters
11:45-12:30 Flea market and gift exchange
12:30-13:00 Lunch at Xiaocun Primary School
13:00-14:00 Return trip from Lufeng to Kunming

Arrangements

Anyone can attend the flea market and volunteer their time as well goods. Bus transportation to Lufeng County will be provided and costs 50 yuan per person. An additional 50 yuan fee is required to cover lunch for you and one student at the primary school, as well as a gift for each student.

Spaces are limited so volunteers must contact organizers beforehand. The bus from Kunming will leave promptly at 8:30am from in front of the GOME electronics store on Dianchi Lu (滇池路国美电器门口).

Attendees must arrive at the stop by 8:20am to avoid delays. Those who can arrange their own transportation are encouraged to bring a small gift to ensure that no children are left out.

If you would like to donate time, money, or goods, please contact Liu Yun at 64635039 or 13099981195 and Zhang Lu at 13108897132. Both of them speak English and Chinese.

Images: YEDI

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Comments

Ocean • June 2, 2013, 10:00pm

Saw this a bit too late to get involved. Hope GoK publish a follow-up article. I'd be interested to hear how it went.

scally • June 4, 2013, 12:16pm

@Ocean
According to organizers the event was a great success. 141 people participated and distributed 25 ceramic water filters. That number of filters means the entire school, both students and staff, will have access to clean water for the next five years. Every child also received a present as it was Children's Day.

Elisa • June 5, 2013, 5:33am

If this happens again, or if other schools are doing something similar, please keep us updated!

Ocean • June 13, 2013, 11:15am

Thanks for the update, Patrick. Sounds great.

GoK Moderator • June 13, 2013, 12:14pm

I can't help feeling the participation/contributions to the event would have been higher with a different title to the article. I am cynical, TIC afterall.

Alien • June 17, 2013, 10:44pm

Hope the real estate speculators and black-Audi-drivin mfs kicked in.