Project Manager: Pagmotso ( Pamela)
The immediate goal of this project is to build a running water system for 51 households in Lower Mairi village. This project will help more children from Lower Mairi village the possibility to attend school. And improve people’s life condition and to have a healthy life by using this water system.
Funds needed: $26,248 (179,728rmb)
Pagmotso is from Kousa Tang village, Make Tang Township, Jiantsa County, Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, China. She is currently working towards an associated degree in English at the Qinghai Normal University Nationalities Department English Training Program.
Project location
Lower Mairi village is located in the north of Cuozhou Township, Jiantsa County, Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. It is about 180 kilometers away from Xining, the capital city of Qinghai Province. Mairi is an agricultural village with 51 households, which are situated in the middle of a mountain. All the people in this village are Tibetans. Lower Mairi village is adjacent to Upper Mairi village and both villages currently rely on the same water source.
Population
There are approximately 353 people within 51 households in Lower Mairi village. There are 150 women, 143 men and 60 children in this lower village.
Education
Almost none of the adults or elders of Mairi village have received formal education. Most of those with no education were unable to attend school due to accessibility or funding difficulties. However, about five percent of the people in Mairi village are older men who can read and write Tibetan, as they learned from the monastery during 1966-1977. In 1993, nearly all village parents began to send one child to the local primary school. Students could only attend grades one through four and lacked a real classroom, teachers, and good materials. In recent times, a new understanding of the importance of education for success in modern society has increased school attendance. In Mairi village, out of 45 school-aged children there are 33 children are attending school. There are 2 university students (one girl and one boy), 4 boy senior students, 7 junior school students (three girls and four boys) and 20 primary school students (eight girls and twelve boys). On average, one child from each family currently attends primary school, although there is usually more than one child in each household. Some families do not send their children to school because they cannot afford the school tuition. Moreover, some families don’t send any children to school because they need them to stay at home to help work in the fields and fetch water to provide for both family and livestock.
Cash Income
All of the people in Mairi village are farmers. A major source of income outside of agriculture is digging caterpillar fungus, (cordyceps sinensis; Dongchun Xia Cao in Chinese) a medicinal herb that grows in nomadic areas. Caterpillar fungus is sold for five yuan per fungus. However, gathering caterpillar fungus is very difficult. People have to dig for the fungus in the forest or in the high altitude grassland where each person must pay 2,500 rmb to dig on other people’s land, unsure whether the land actually has any caterpillar fungus. People usually dig the fungus from the beginning of May until the end of June. When they go to dig fungus, villagers must also pay for the bus fare to take them to the nomadic places. Each person needs to pay nearly 350 rmb for a ticket. Sometimes people have no money to bring home from digging because of difficulties and the high landlord’s fee.After paying the landlord’s fee, most people bring 800-900 rmb home in profit. This amount of money is not even sufficient for family expenses, such as buying clothes, salt, tea, medicine, paying for electricity and buying fertilizer, which costs about 400-500 rmb alone. The total of these essential expenses comes to 1,000 rmb per year, but on average people can only earn 900 rmb in the whole year. Usually one person from each family goes to dig caterpillar fungus to support the family. If a family has both middle school and university students, they generally have to borrow 3500 rmb from others or a local bank to pay their children’s tuition. Usually after a family member digs caterpillar fungus, the earnings must be spent on paying back the loans and interest. Another expense for about 40 households in Mairi village is 400 rmb for 250 kilograms of grain for food every year because of poor harvest due to a lack of irrigation system.
Agriculture
Mairi villagers usually plant wheat, barley, potatoes, and beans on their small fields once a year. The richest families in Mairi village have 10 mu of fields to plant these crops. This is just enough for a year’s worth of food for both people and livestock (such as pigs and mules), with no surplus. Each year, a family can produce 250 kilograms of barley, wheat, or potatoes per mu. The poor families in the village have only 7 mu of fields without irrigation, from which they must try to supply food for all members of the family and livestock. The farmers rely on the rainfall, with no other irrigation system. If one year has very little rain, these poor families are in danger of starving because they cannot produce and do not have money to buy grain for food. On average, thirty five households from Mairi village do not produce enough for a year’s worth of food. Occasionally the local government might give one or two sacks of flour to the poorest families, but this is still not sufficient for supporting both people and livestock.
Herding
Each family in Mairi village has an average of three animals: one mule and two donkeys. The exception is three households which have almost 50 sheep and goats each. The animals in Mairi village are needed for plowing in the spring and carrying the straw during the harvest.
Project Goals
The immediate goal of this project is to build a running water system for 51 households in Lower Mairi village. This project will also benefit five villages of about 600 local people, which rely on the same source of water in the Cuozhou Township of Jiantsa County. This project will help more children from Lower Mairi village the possibility to attend school. And the overchanging goal is to improve people’s life condition and to have a healthy life by using this water system.
Problems
Water shortage: The water piping currently used by lower Mairi villagers doesn’t belong to the village, but to the two adjacent villages (Upper Mairi village located at the top of the mountain, and the Lower Mairi village is in the middle of the mountain). This piping was built by the local government of these two villages three years ago. Previously the government thought that this water system would be enough for both villages. Unfortunately, upper Mairi village has about 350 people as well as livestock, which rely on this water, leaving inadequate water for Lower Mairi village. Originally Lower Mairi villagers had obtained water from a small river, about two and half kilometers from the village, at the bottom of a steep mountain. This road for fetching water is very steep and treacherous. Fetching water is traditionally a task of women and young girls, so the women of lower Mairi must carry water barrels along the steep path to collect their water. Unable to individually carry enough water, women must also use their donkeys or mules to fetch water with metal barrels. This water fetching process takes women at least two hours to complete, and then they must begin the other housework chores.
Health problems: To fetch water, villagers must travel on a steep mountain path down to the river, a difficult and dangerous undertaking. During the summer when people cannot predict when it will rain, this task is especially dangerous as a sudden storm may appear when people are fetching water, making the ground slippery and the river rough. Many villagers have suffered broken bones from falling on the steep mountain road while fetching water, and several children have drowned in the dangerous river. As a result, people use their water sparingly which negatively impacts the level of health and hygiene in the village. To spare water, families don’t wash their clothes often and usually irrigate their crops with dirty water instead of clean water. This polluted water makes the vegetables that the villagers eat unhealthy. Many women and girls suffer from hunched backs and backaches from fetching water in water barrels on their backs
Time consuming: Without enough water provided by the pipe, villagers must spend lots of time collecting water. Students must spend their vacation periods helping their families to fetch water from the river. This not only uses up their leisure time, but also cuts into their study time. While other village’s students may go to the county town and participate in training programs or tutoring during holidays, lower Mairi’s students must fetch water. Fetching water three times per day does not leave time for women to work outside the home as men do.
Dangerous frozen ground: When the villagers fetch water in winter, they have to cross over the frozen river, which has turned to thick, slippery ice. This can be very dangerous, especially for young children and elders, who sometimes fall on the ice and hurt themselves. The ice is also difficult for the donkeys and mules, often causing them to slip and fall. Additionally, the river is located at the bottom of the mountain and remains in the shadow of the mountain until noon. Thus, people can easily get cold and ill, which forces them to pay for medical attention and to buy warm clothes that can be very expensive.
Pollution: Villagers use the river for washing their clothes and village animals use and pollute the river. This pollution not only affects lower Mairi village, but also the five other villages that the river flows through.
Increased women’s labor: The river is at the bottom of a mountain that is about two and half kilometers from the Mairi village. Women usually get up at half past six to get water with water barrels on their backs, and do not return until nine o’clock. On their return, women must cook for their families, do the house chores, and work on the farm. Sometimes women will not finish their work until well into the night, leaving no time to relax and do work outside the home for wages
Increased illiteracy rate: As the summer approaches, men from this village must go outside the village and earn money. Women have to work in the fields weeding and doing other tasks. Parents need their children to stay at home to collect water from the river and to cook for elders. Usually these tasks are given to daughters, forcing the girls to drop out of school. With more children needing to work instead of receiving an education, illiteracy rates are rising.
Lack of reliable water supply: During the harvest and planting times potable water is extremely necessary for each household, as this is the busiest and most tiring work period for both people and mules or donkeys. In these periods, the water carrier must fetch water four or five times the usual amount. Thus, each family must choose one person to spend all day getting water, or they will not have enough water for people to drink. At this busy time, even one small child is very helpful. The lack of reliable and conveniently located water impedes villagers from finishing their tasks efficiently.
Benefits
If we build a running water system for every household in lower Mairi village, then there will be enough water for all the villagers and several problems will be resolved.
1. Women in the village will not need to walk long distances to fetch water and they will have more leisure time to relax and spend on their other tasks, like weeding and irrigating the fields. This will also free up the donkeys and mules to do work that is not related to carrying water. This project will reduce both women and animal’s burdens.
2. The health problems related to water collection will be eliminated by a local water supply. Children and elders will no longer be exposed to the cold and slippery ice of the river in winter.
3. During the vacation students will not need to spend their rest time fetching water, but can instead do other activities such as reviewing their lessons or helping their parents to farm.
4. The threats of drowning and falling on the slippery path by the river in the summer will be eliminated if villagers do not have to fetch water. Everyone in the village will have safe life in the summer, reducing the threats especially for women, children and elders.
5. Villagers will have improved hygiene and health, using clean water for washing clothes and irrigating the crops.
6. With running water women’s hunchback and backache caused by carrying water from the river on their backs will be greatly reduced. Also, more girls can attend school as they do not need to stay home to collect water.
7. A reliable water source will reduce river pollution, helping to keep the environment clean. People usually wash their clothes in the river, polluting the water. This polluted river is not only bad for lower Mairi villagers and livestock, but also harms the other five villages who drink the river water. A clean river will benefit all five villages the river flows through.
8. Everyone in the family can fully participate in harvesting and planting crops, as no one must spend this time collecting water. With the help of all the family members these tasks will be finished earlier and more easily.
Beneficiaries
This running water project will directly benefit 353 people in 51 households, especially reducing the burden of women and girls. Also, five villages downstream of lower Mairi will be benefited indirectly with unpolluted water.
Gender equality
This water project presents excellent opportunities to contribute to gender equality in my community. Usually women have a lower position than men in society, and women are thought to be less capable then men. Generally, only men have the opportunity to attend village activities such as village meetings, learning news and ideas from the outside world. Most of the time, women must stay at home to do most of the housework, including fetching water. With easily available water women will have as much time as men do, giving them the opportunity to participate in other activities and tasks. In addition, implementing this project will show the villagers that women also can be involved in wonderful and helpful community projects. A running water system will empower women to meaningfully contribute in water management and enable them to increase their income with more time.
In addition, once there is a water system in my community it is certain that many girls will spend far less time collecting water. As a result, many girls will have the time to be able to attend school and gain an education, allowing them to gain the skills to do their own projects in the future.
Government Approval
The local government aided both upper and lower Mairi village to build a running water system about three years ago, but the lower Mairi village doesn’t have enough water to drink. There is no available money within the village or the government to build a new water system. On May 4, 2007, I (Pagmotso) and the village leader, Dun Zhi Cai Dan, talked to the government leader , Lha Jyi Jia, who said that he would agree donor funding of this project
The steps of the project
1. Discuss the problems of water access with the villagers and decide how and what could be done to alleviate these problems. (Done)
2. Talk to the villager leader, Dunzhi Caidan, about the basic needs and how the water problem could be solved. (Done)
3. Hold the first meeting with the family leaders (both men and women) to collect information for the project. (Done)
4. Ask official permission from the local government leader. (Done)
5. Go to an adjacent village to talk to other project managers and workers who completed a similar project last year. Discuss with them what kind of materials are needed and how and where the cheapest, best quality materials may be bought (Done)
6. Go to Jiantsa County and determine the price of each material that is needed for this project. (Done)
7. Invite two skilled workers from the county town to Mairi village and have them determine the best location for the project. (Done)
8. Hold a second meeting with both men and women from lower Mairi. Choose three women and three men who will be responsible for this project. One woman will take care of the materials, while the other two women and one man will be in charge of the spring. Another man will be responsible for the money that will be spent and will keep all receipts. The third man will be responsible for the water ditch. (Done)
9. Take pictures of the current local conditions. (Done)
10. Write project proposal. (Done)
11. Find a donor to fund this project.12. Hold the third meeting with the villagers to discuss the start date for this project.
13. Meet the contractors and ask them when and how to arrange materials for this project. Organize transportation of project materials.
14. Purchase materials such as cement, bricks and steel from Jiantsa County. Ask the five responsible managers to begin overseeing the project construction.
15. Supervise the participation of villagers until the project is completed.
16. Interview the villagers on the success of this project.
17. Take pictures of the completed project.
18. Complete the final report.
19. Send the final report with all pictures, receipts and thank you letters to the donor.
Time frame
(if funded, this project will need one month and twenty days to finish)
Detailed Budget
|
item |
Price per |
Number |
Donor contribu |
Local Contribu |
Other resources |
Total cost in RMB |
|
Plastic pipe#50 |
14/meter |
4,000 |
56,000 |
0 |
0 |
56,000 |
|
Plastic pipe#32 |
8/meter |
3,000 |
24,000 |
0 |
0 |
24,000 |
|
Plastic pipe#25 |
6.5/meter |
1,500 |
9,750 |
0 |
0 |
9,750 |
|
Sand |
320/truck |
7 |
0 |
2,240 |
0 |
2,240 |
|
Bricks |
0.25/piece |
25,000 |
6,250 |
0 |
0 |
6,250 |
|
Plastic connections |
6/kg |
300 |
1,800 |
0 |
0 |
1,800 |
|
Skilled workers |
80/ person/day |
25 days /3 people |
6,000 |
0 |
0 |
6,000 |
|
Cement |
18/bag |
600 |
10,800 |
0 |
0 |
10,800 |
|
Steels |
4,000 /ton |
8 |
32,000 |
0 |
0 |
32,000 |
|
Metal pipes |
300/metal pipe |
4 |
1,200 |
0 |
0 |
1,200 |
|
Precast slab |
250/piece |
50 |
12,500 |
0 |
0 |
12,500 |
|
Pipes, spigots, connections, valves |
80 /piece |
51 |
4,080 |
0 |
0 |
4,080 |
|
Metal joints |
1.8 /piece |
360 |
648 |
0 |
0 |
648 |
|
Transporta |
500/truck |
5 |
2,500 |
0 |
0 |
2,500 |
|
Transporta |
400/truck |
7 |
2,800 |
0 |
0 |
2,800 |
|
Transporta |
1,500/truck |
2 |
3,000 |
0 |
0 |
3,000 |
|
Transporta |
1,500/truck |
2 |
3,000 |
0 |
0 |
3,000 |
|
Transporta |
1,500/ truck |
2 |
3,000 |
0 |
0 |
3,000 |
|
workers |
30/day/ |
40 workers |
0 |
60,000 |
0 |
60,000 |
|
Project Manage |
|
Phone calls, pictures |
400 |
100 |
0 |
500 |
|
Project manage |
|
|
0 |
0 |
500 |
500 |
|
Total cost |
|
|
179,728
|
62,340
|
500 |
242,568
|
Total cost of this project: 242,568rmb
Donor contribution: 179,728rmb
Local contribution: 62,340rmb
Shem women’s group: 500rmb
These prices are based on the cost of one running water project that was done in an adjacent village last year. Mairi village leader Dunzhi Caidan was also in charge of this kind of project before, and assisted in compiling numbers.
Sustainability
There will be 353 people in 51 households participating in this project. The project will be sustainable with an organized community (from the village) for taking care of this project after it is completed All the villagers will have confidence in the long term success of this project because they will use the best quality materials and their own labor. Also, the suppliers for this project have a guaranteed return policy good on parts for ten years.
Past experiences
In 2004, Pagmotso successfully completed two small scale development projects: one Solar Cooker project that distributed cookers to 60 households in KousaTang village in Jiantsa (funded by the Canada Fund), and a second-hand clothing project for Kousa Tang village (funded by Sue Bishop at the British Consulate in Shanghai).
Photos
This is one area that people have to cross when fetching water. The river is situated at the bottom of a steep mountain, which is about two and half kilometers away from the village.
Pama tso who is a thirteen year old school girl. Her parents have already left the village to make money, leaving her with no option but to stay home from school to work.
These are women from Lower Mairi village carrying water to their homes. After fetching water, these women must work in the fields and do other housework. The water carried on the womens’ backs is not enough for both their livestock and people in their families, so donkeys and mules are needed to transport water. Although this picture is taken in summer, without money for buying trees or equipment for modern agriculture, the land remains dusty all year.
This little girl was also needed to go down to the river and get water with her sister because her parents were very busy planting crops in the fields.
Niang Mo gyi is pouring water from the river to the metal barrel for her donkey to transport back to the village for drinking water.
Tashi is a middle school boy (fourteen years old), but during his weekend he has to come home and help his seventy year old grandmother do housework, including carrying water.
Map of the project site
