Shi Lin, the governor of Lintao county, Gansu province, was eager to greet visitors from US-based PepsiCo and the China Women's Development Foundation (CWDF) on a recent site trip to the arid mountainous area.

The food and soft drink company and foundation are working together to build water cellars at Gansu province schools.

"It will solve a serious water supply problem for us," said Shi, standing beside a school playground, pointing to the water cellar that is taking shape behind him.

It is one of 13 standard rainwater collection cellars at 13 middle and primary schools built this year by PepsiCo Greater China and CWDF, with a donation of 400,000 yuan from PepsiCo. The cellars will benefit more than 6,000 students in the area.

Shi said the 13 schools are mostly situated in the arid mountainous region in the eastern part of Lintao county. Due to a lack of precipitation, this part of the county suffers from water shortages throughout the year.

Shi cited Lian'erwan Junior Middle School as an example. Shi said the school's two water cellars were built 10 years ago, and each cellar only has a maximum water capacity of 10 cu m.

Even on rainy days, when both cellars reach maximum storage capacity, they can only promise two weeks of water supplies for the school's 850-plus teachers and students.

If there was no rain, the school had to buy water from other places at a very high price. The unnecessary diversion of school funds inevitably hurt the school's investment in education activities.

"Our teachers and students want rainwater collecting cellars more than anything else. It's wonderful, and I am really excited to learn that we will soon have a cellar with a capacity of 50 cu m at our school," Shi said.

"More than 10 cellars with a capacity of 50 cu m or more are also being constructed," he added.

Shi said that the philanthropic project sponsored by PepsiCo in Lintao will result in three social benefits.

First, safe and hygienic drinking water for local schools can protect the health of teachers and students, he said.

Second, reduced financial pressures will enable the schools to meet other educational needs.

Third, the increase in the standard of living that comes with more reliable water supplies will increase the amount of time teachers and students devote to teaching and studying.

PepsiCo became a principal donor for the foundation's "Mother Water Cellar" project in 2001. As of this year, the company and its local employees have donated 17 million yuan for the construction of more than 1,500 water cellars, benefiting more than 16,000 people.

PepsiCo also has promoted the dissemination of safe drinking water through other projects that have benefited more than 40,000 people in 28 villages of 24 counties in seven provinces and autonomous regions, including Sichuan, Shaanxi, Guizhou, Guangxi, Hebei, Inner Mongolia and Gansu.

(China Daily 11/23/2009 page10)