MyH2O

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The Story of MyH2O

Written by Charlene Ren, founder of MyH2O:

My family is from rural China. Growing up, people around me were heavily affected by dental problems and other health issues. No one questioned the cause of these health issues and simply resigned to fate. It was only when I gained more knowledge on environmental issues that I started to see the potential relevance of their health issues to local environmental qualities. Information empowered me and gave me the ability to advise my family on how to buy purifiers and improve their access to cleaner water and better sanitation, but these types of resources are not always available to the communities in need. Scarcity of information across rural communities reduced the likelihood for these communities to ever be seen and noticed.

The severity of water problems and the lack of voices of those most impacted provided such a drastically contrasting image that I felt obligated to bring the voices forward and make the rural communities heard. With this realization, I gathered members of the international team of a climate action group and pitched an idea of a crowd-sourcing water data platform where collective public efforts can come together and help become ambassadors for those whose voices are unheard. With more representatives of these communities coming forward, this platform can effectively lower the bar to rural water information. As more information and demands become more visible, more solutions can be delivered targeting the populations in need.

With my coworkers’ enthusiasm and support from my mentor Susan Murcott from MIT's Environmental Engineering department, we received support from MIT’s Public Service Center and the National Geographic Air and Water Conservation Fund. After studying in the US for 7 years, in 2017 I decided to return to China to dedicate myself full-time to MyH2O. This is the beginning of the lifelong journey of MyH2O.

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