Projects

This project is to build a running water system for Rilangda Village, in order to supply clean water for Rilangda villagers to reduce the villager’s burden, and decrease the six households’ workload so they have more time to relax like the other 18 households in Rilangda Village and improve their living condition.

Youth Group from Vienna funded this project

Lo Sang Bal Dron is from Luhuo County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. She is currently studying for an Associate’s degree at the English Training Program in Qinghai Nationalities Teacher’s College, Qinghai Normal University.
Project Location
This project is located in Rilangda Village, Zhuwo Township, Luhuo County; Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. Rilangda Village is about 50 km away from Luhuo County (called Zhanggo in Tibetan); Luhuo County is located in the southeast of Ganzi Prefecture and Luhuo County is 650 km away from Chengdu City, the capital of Sichuan.
Population
There are 156 people of 24 households in Rilangda Village. There are 59 men, 62 women and 35 children (under the age of 18).
Education
There are 32 students (17 males and 15 females) in Rilangda village; this includes 5 college students (2 males and 3 females), 8 high school students (4 males and 4 females), 5 middle school students (4 males and 1 female), and 14 primary school students (9 males and 5 females). Also 7 people (4 males and 3 females) have official jobs. 50% of men and 2% of women are literate in Rilangda Village (not including students, monks, nuns and the functionaries). The rest of the villagers are illiterate. This is partially due to older generations’ belief that students are unable to get jobs after graduation.
Cash Income
All of Rilangda Villagers are farmers, so their lives depend on agriculture. They plant barley, wheat, potatoes, and peas in their fields. Some families with many members own 5-10 mu (1mu=0.0666 hectares); they can earn 2000-2500 RMB per year from selling their barley and wheat. Families with few people have only 1- 3 mu of land, so it’s impossible to sell their barley and wheat. Some of these families with fewer mu of land are unable to grow enough barley to live on, so they must purchase barley from others. Rilangda villagers depend on agriculture, but they also own at least 5-7 livestock such as bulls, cows, yaks and horses. Villagers can earn around 900 to 1000 RMB per year from selling livestock and 400 to 500 RMB per year from selling butter and cheese. Also, the young villagers who did not attend school earn money by doing outside jobs, such as construction jobs (30-40 RMB per day) or service jobs in restaurants and hotels (15-20 RMB per day). There is also another way to earn money for the village, which is to dig caterpillar fungus, a kind of medicinal herb. During the months of May and June the village adults go to dig fungus; each fungus can sell for 14 to 16 RMB, and the best fungus can sell for 20 to 25 RMB; each person usually can earn 3000 to 4000 RMB during the caterpillar fungus season. On average, each family can earn 4000 RMB per year. All of this money is used on food, clothes, festivities, children’s school fees, electricity, medicine and transportation.
Herding
Each family owns at least 6 or 7 livestock including bulls, cows, yaks, and horses. The animals are used to plough fields and for milking. Families can earn 900 to 1000 RMB from selling livestock. They also sell butter and cheese to earn about 400 to 500 RMB per year.
Agriculture
Rilangda villagers depend on agriculture. They plant barley, wheat, potatoes, and peas. Some families have 5-10 mu of land. Each mu of agricultural land can produce 500-600 jin of barley, wheat and peas per year. However some families have only own 1-3 mu of land, which makes their lives very difficult. These families must purchase or borrow barley from richer families.
Weather
The village is located in a high altitude region (about 4,834 m). During the summer and spring there are heavy rains, and the river becomes muddy. During winter time the river becomes covered with thick ice, so it is dangerous for villagers to fetch water. In the wintertime it is common for people to get injured from fetching water, especially older people, children and pregnant women. In 2002 there was a woman called Zhogga who was 5 months pregnant. One winter morning she went to fetch water from the river, she slipped on the ice and was injured so badly that she miscarried.
The project goals
The immediate goal of this project is to build a running water system for six households in Rilangda Village.  The other 18 households already have access to running water. The overarching goal of this project is to provide safe and clean water for six families in Rilangda Village, decrease the six households’ workload so they have more time to relax like the other 18 households in Rilangda Village.
Problems
1. Heavy workloads for women and children
Fetching water and washing clothes are usually done by village women and children. Women and children must fetch water for drinking, washing clothes, and watering their gardens. The closest water source is a river, but access to river water is unreliable (see below). Families must sometimes spend time to walk 1.5 km to a spring or ask neighboring households for water. This reduces the time women have to complete other chores or have leisure time. This also reduces the time children can spend doing school work or playing games.
2. Health problems from drinking unsafe river water
Some health problems such as parasites, bacterial infections and diarrhea have been traced to drinking water from the river. In May 2004, the local doctor, Yang Xiang Pin, found that these kinds of diseases must be caused by the water. In June 2004 the village leader invited a health care official from Luhuo County to check the river that villagers were drinking. He found that the village river was polluted with bacteria from human waste and dirty things (clothes, mopes, rags…..) that villagers washed in the river. So the river water that six families now use is not safe to drink.
3. Unreliable access to water from the river
During the rainy season the six households always worry about water. After the rains the river becomes muddy for two or three days, and it is impossible to drink it during that time. The six households need to call the others (who already have the running water) to fetch water from their taps. They said: “To go to these families two or three times for fetching water is ok, but we feel shamed to fetch water from them everyday.” Sometimes families must walk 1.5 km to a spring to fetch water. During the winter time the river becomes frozen, so it becomes difficult and dangerous to fetch water.
4. Unequal distribution of running water
In January 2007, a man called Rin ‘dzin mthar Phyin from a neighboring village implemented a running water project in his village. After he finished the project he still had a little money left, so he decided to help Rilangda village. However, he did not have enough money to run taps to all of the households in Rilangda. He only had enough money to help 18 households. The villagers drew lots to determine who would receive running water. Six households were left without running water.
Benefits
1. Reduced burden of women and children
Women and children will not have to spend as much time and energy to fetch water for their families. It will be more efficient to wash clothes and water vegetables. Women will have more time to relax than before. Also, children will have more time to spend on studying and playing games.
2. Safe drinking water, reduced health problems
Health problems from drinking contaminated water will be eliminated. These six households will not need spend money to treat water-related illnesses.
3. Consistent, safe access to clean water
These six households will not need to worry about the changeable weather during spring and winter times. They will no longer need to worry about not being able to use water during the spring or winter time. Also if this project is funded then the villagers, especially old people and children, will not have to risk injury from fetching water from the river.
4. Equal distribution of water to all villagers
All households in the village will have access to water. This will reduce inequalities related to health problems, labor burdens, leisure time, and watering vegetables. The children of the six households will no longer need to spend valuable study time on fetching water.
Gender Equality
In this village most labor tasks are done by women and female children. Washing clothes and fetching water are especially seen as the duty of women. If this project is approved, it would be very helpful for those women and children. In addition, this project contributes to gender equality by including women in the planning and project implementation. Furthermore, as a woman project manager I will serve as a role model for the women and children of the village. If this project is successful it will challenge the traditionally held idea that women cannot accomplish heroic deeds.
Government Approval
The government knew that the 18 households already had the running water, and they tried several times to help the rest of the village. The problem is that they have no enough money to provide running water to the remaining households. This project would be well received by the local government, because last year a male student from Qinghai Normal University, Rin ‘dzin mThar Phyin, implemented a running water project in his nearby village. The local government, which also oversees Rilangda village, gave him full support. I asked some members of the local government, lha ‘Dzam and rDor rJe, and they gave me full permission to implement the project. I also received permission from the township leader, Chos ‘dzam, who cleared the project with the government clerk.
The steps of project
1.      Ask the village leader whether the six households can use the same water system as the 18 households.(done)
2.      Ask the village leader about the needs for the project.(done)
3.      Receive government permission to do this project.(done)
4.      Talk to the skilled workers (Yon Tan and Don ‘grum) about the payment for their work.
5.      Talk to the six households about this project, and let them choose two people to be the project’s co-managers.
6.      Hold a meeting with all the villagers, and ask the 18 households whether they agree to share the water system. (done)
7.      Ask the price of materials in Luhuo county.(done)
8.      Collect information from Rig ‘dzin mThar phyin, who implemented a running water project in a nearby village. (done)
9.      Take pictures of the six families’ conditions.
10.  Receive funds.
11.  Ask the two co-managers when should the six families prepare tools and materials for the project.
12.  Purchase materials from Luhuo county.
13.  Implement the project.
14.  Interview the six families’ members (both men and women).
15.  Write project proposal.

Time Frame
This project will take a total of 45 days to complete. 5days, receive funds, and let the two co- managers (mKh’gYang and Jiang shi) to prepare local materials (sand and stone). 7days purchase the materials and cement bags from Luhuo County and transport them to the village; choose the family to set the water tap. 21days, the 12 unskilled workers begin to dig ditches. 6days, the skilled workers begin to place the pipes and the others will mix sand and cement for the tap boxes for each family. 3days, twelve unskilled workers are hired people from this village to cover the ditches. After the 3days, skilled and unskilled workers complete building taps for each family. Finally, take pictures of the implemented project and interview the beneficiaries.
Project Budget

Prices of materials are exact in Luhuo County in March 2008, but are subject to change. Total donor contribution in RMB =23,394 RMB
1) Fee for using water box: For taking the water from the system that 18 households are using, they said that if the 6 households took water from their water system, then each household must pay 900 RMB for them (18 households), they meaning that 5400 RMB is for their energy to dig the water system and ditch from water system to their village and the cost of things (sand, stone, metals) and the payment for the skilled and unskilled workers. I figure out it is very difficult to building a water system to only for 6 households, so I agreed with their idea. However, these six villagers are in difficult condition. In those 6 households, 2 families (Sanggen and Conggobo) are poorer than other 4 families, both families’ children were only attending primary school and now stopped, I asked the reason why they let their children stop study and they told me that they can’t pay the school fees. Now some of their children are working in restaurant and hotel to earn money for their families. The two families have no livestock and the parents are also earning money from hard works, such as structure work, caterpillar fungus and the small farm land. The other 4 families’ all children are attending school and they earn money from livestock, agriculture, and structure works. But 900rmb is a very big amount for them and they couldn’t pay 900RMB for the running water system.
Sustainability
The six households are very eager to have safe water, so I, the project manager, am sure that they will protect the water system very well. I asked a member of the water company, called Zhanhzhong, whether they would exchange parts if the system has any problems in two years. Zhangzhong said the company offers a four year guarantee for the water system. If the system has problems after the guarantee date the village leader will be responsible to find a person who can repair it, and the six households will pay the cost of repairs. During the winter time if the six households will prepare insulation to protect the taps from freezing.
Past Experience
During the 2007 winter holiday Madge volunteered as an English and Chinese teacher in Rilangda village. She taught 30 children four hours a day. In 2008 she wrote a book review called “The Mystery Monasteries in Lhasa”.
Map of the project location

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