China

Splash is focused, within China, on one of the most marginalized populations in the country: orphans. Maybe surprisingly, there is a positive story in China that goes untold: policies and practices within China have been greatly improving relative to domestic adoption, foster care and orphanage management. Although it is not Splash’s practice to praise governments, typically, we can safely say that the Chinese Government (along with some terrific NGOs working on children's issues) have completely re-architected what orphanage care can and should provide to abandoned children. On this front, the Chinese government has invited and supported a collaboration with Splash to secure clean water in every orphanage in the country. We are proud of its impact for so many children.

What are we doing?

The “big, hairy, audacious goal” of Splash, from our very start, was to ensure clean water in every orphanage in China—spanning 31 provinces and 1,200 cities. We reached this goal in 2017. This means every orphaned child residing within an institution now has safe drinking water in their baby bottles, in their sippy cups and glasses; that all of their food can be washed with clean water; and all orphanage staff and their families have access to bottle-quality water at any time of day.

Currently, our program is being maintained by a local consultant. They connect social welfare institutions with local maintenance companies, while Splash provides some parts and supplies. As of early 2022, more than 80% of Splash sites still have functioning filters.

In the future, we are looking to transition the maintenance and support of these sites to a local institution. Until then, we will continue contracting with a local consultant for maintenance work as we want to ensure this investment continues to keep water flowing for kids throughout China.

What have we learned?

• Factoring in ongoing operation and maintenance plans (both technical and financial) from the start and working to establish effective supply chains is a must to ensure investments last and water flows.
• Working closely with government and having detailed handover and transition discussions are essential, especially when these conversations are undertaken early in the program and not at the end.
• In the future, it would be better to select one filter system to simplify maintenance and spare parts supply chain. Too many filter options can confuse and undermine supply chains.
• Government co-funding is critical. It requires Splash to spend time understanding budgetary processes and decision-making authorities, and it is the keystone in ensuring that investments last.
• It is extremely valuable to sub-contract with local partners to verify impact and resolve challenges that arise.

Impact

Learn more about Splash's impact here.

Government Involvement

"The Chinese government had huge developments in Child Welfare in the past years, but with friends like Splash International we can promote further development of China’s care for vulnerable children."

Mr. Xu Jianzhong

Deputy General Director

Department of Social Welfare, Ministry of Civil Affairs, P.R. China