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Xiaoyuan Ren - Chinese, Asia and the Pacific

2020 Winner | Environmental engineer | Chinese

MyH2O Water Information Network was established to tackle inaccess to clean drinking water in rural China. Through a nationwide collaborative youth volunteer network MyH2O collects clean water data and diagnoses water problems on a case-by-case basis, with the goal to connect data-driven water resources and solutions to the underprivileged communities in need and improve their overall health. The network has grown to over 100 field teams covering 3800+ datasets in close to 1000 villages across 26 provinces and has successfully delivered clean water stations to tens of thousands of villagers in China.

Xiaoyuan “Charlene” Ren is the founder of MyH2O. She researched the water monitoring policy in rural India which evolved into an ongoing MIT/India initiative “Data for Improved Governance”. She’s a 2016 Echoing Green Fellow and Forbes 2019 “30 Under 30” in Social Entrepreneurship and one of BBC’s 100 Woman (2019). She was also a Chinese representative for Homeward Bound’s all-female STEM leadership expedition in Antarctica.

Disclaimer: NOTE: This content was shared online for the 2019 cycle of the Young Champions of the Earth programme and has not been updated. This listing does not constitute any endorsement by nor status with the UN Environment Programme.

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