Better access to safe drinking water and sanitation around the world could prevent the deaths of 297,000 children aged under 5 years from diarrhea each year. Likewise, the risk of infection of other common infectious diseases including cholera, hepatitis A, typhoid, and most recently – the coronavirus, can be reduced by improving access to clean water and sanitation facilities. 

The Huangzhong district in Xining city, the capital of Qinghai Province, is home to 8,980 families, all of whom received assistance under China’s national policy to eradicate extreme poverty (below 2,300 yuan per person per year). Through social assistance and private sector financing, Huangzhong district succeeded in lifting all 28,706 residents out of extreme poverty after a four-year battle. In April 2019 the district proudly celebrated its official removal of the “poverty alleviation county” label.