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Oxfam Australia has been working in China for more than 20 years to reduce poverty and create a better life for poor and remote communities, particularly in the country's poorer south-west region. Together with Oxfam Hong Kong, the government, and local organisations and communities, we're working hard to ensure poor people are not left behind in China's rush to modernise.
Our focus
China has experienced unprecedented, rapid economic growth in recent years and is emerging as one of the world's leading economic powers. But not everyone has benefited from the economic gains. While incomes are rising for many who live in the bigger cities, as many as 466 million people still live on less than US $2 a day, especially those in rural areas.
About 80 per cent of China’s population live in rural areas yet have access to less than 20 per cent of the country’s health resources. We are working in the poorest provinces (Yunnan, Guangxi and Guizhou) where people are living on less than 50 cents a day.
Many people here belong to poor ethnic minorities and live in remote areas where livelihoods are tenuous and basic services are limited. Our program aims to strengthen community institutions and raise the status of poor villagers, to help build the capacity of communities. In all instances there's a close and effective partnership between communities, the government and Oxfam, resulting in shared learning and sustainable solutions.
Improving community health
Remote communities in China's south west are learning how to protect themselves from fluorosis poisoning thanks to a new Oxfam initiative.
Fluorosis poisoning occurs through eating contaminated food that has been dried by heat from burning coal on open stoves. Symptoms range from fluorine-stained teeth to severe skeletal poisoning and paralysis. Rates of disease are high in Guizhou province, and there is no effective treatment.
Our project, implemented by Oxfam Hong Kong, has been developed in conjunction with villagers and the government as part of a broader strategy to improve living conditions for this impoverished region.
To address the fluorosis problem we are:
- Providing community health promotion and education in disease prevention
- Supplying villagers with anti-fluorine stoves
- Building concrete solar-drying platforms for food
- Promoting alternative ways to earn an income so that villagers can buy fluorine-free food such as rice
Developing livelihoods
Maogu is a poor village in a remote part of Yunnan province. With poor access to local markets or a fresh water supply, life for the community here has been hard.
With our help, the community's priority projects have been realised: together we've built a road to the village and constructed more than 100 water tanks, providing fresh, clean water for the community.
It's been a collaborative effort: we provided 70 per cent of the funding for the projects, the government provided the remaining 30 per cent and the community provided the labour to build the road and tanks.
The new road has reduced the cost of getting produce to market and villagers can now easily access schools, healthcare and other services in the main centre. The water tanks have also brought welcome benefits, particularly for women who no longer have to walk some two hours a day to collect water.
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Stories & photos
Smoking out a health crisis
Remote communities in south-west China are learning how to protect themselves from fluorosis poisoning.
Slideshow: building a future
Oxfam's Louise Mooney catches up with some of the locals in rural China.
A road to somewhere
Community road and water projects have given a remote mountain community in China renewed hope for their future.