Attending school is the first step in breaking the cycle of poverty for children, as opposed to staying at home or engaging in child labor. With a lack of schools in the rural regions of China, children are forced to walk far distances under tough weather conditions and without shoes to the next closest school, which is often overcrowded and dilapidated. To ensure that all children have access to education (there is a significant gender gap in enrollment rates), we work with communities to construct libraries, teacher’s offices, gardens, libraries and provide training to teachers.

Only 85 percent of China’s rural population have sustainable access to improved water sources (UNdata, 2010), leaving many people without clean water to drink, cook with or clean with. The country’s water sources are also prone to severe shortages, climate changes, droughts and pollution. WE Villages works to address these issues by investing in clean water and sanitation initiatives that are specific to each community’s location and needs. We also help construct sanitation facilities such as latrines and handwashing stations, and provide educational programs that focus on proper hygiene and sanitation practices.

China’s rural areas face a great lack of access to health care. The communities we partner with are often in the cold, mountainous regions with no access to heating and as a result, families experience difficult conditions that affect their health. On top of that, there are only small health centers that serve large populations, forcing community members to walk far distances for health care. To improve access to health care in rural China, WE Villages focuses on health outreach and education by providing workshops, preventative training and in-class doctor’s visits to ensure everyone has access to health care professionals.

Most community members in rural China are subsistence farmers which means that they only produce enough food to eat but not enough to sell. Factors such as harsh climates, poor access to water and isolation from large markets contribute to food insecurity in these regions, affecting crops and leaving these farmers with nothing to feed their families. We partner with communities to improve food security by providing projects and programs such as the implementation of agricultural training, the provision of tools and resources, pasture development, tree planting, crop irrigation, and more. We're proud to have already completed two phases of a three-year food program that will improve food security throughout communities. As a result, farmers can adapt to changing environments and provide their families with healthier food to eat year-round.

Despite a growing economy, there are still regions in China—particularly rural regions—that experience poverty. For many rural communities, people often move away from home and leave their families to find higher paying work, resulting in higher rates of child labor. WE Villages programming supports these communities by helping to provide animal husbandry projects, which include the provision of pigs, chicken and goats. Through these projects, community members can breed and sell their animals to improve their income and the livelihood of their families.