“This water won't make me sick?” A 12-year-old student at Shouchun Middle School in China asked me, as they received their very first Sawyer filter.

For many children in China, this simple question reveals a harsh reality. According to the Lowy Institute, an estimated 80–90 percent of China’s groundwater is unfit for drinking, and half of its aquifers are too polluted to tap for industry or farming. In rural areas, families are often left with no access to safe drinking water. In urban regions, many rely on single-use plastic water bottles to avoid getting sick, contributing to China’s growing plastic waste crisis.

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A Student-Led Initiative for Clean Water

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The water crisis is deeply personal for Tonia Chen, a high school student at Alameda High School in California.

After spending much of her childhood in China, she witnessed firsthand how contaminated water affected her community. Her family often relied on water from a local lake to wash clothes and rinse food. Because the lake was frequently polluted with bacteria, gastrointestinal illnesses became common after consuming anything that had come into contact with the water.

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Over time, it became clear how repeated exposure to polluted water harmed immune systems, damaged organs, and even hindered cognitive development in the elderly.

Tonia began to think of thirst as a dreadful chore, knowing that a sip of water could lead to pain and discomfort.

Water didn’t feel like a birthright; it felt like a privilege. Refillable water stations were nearly nonexistent. If you wanted to drink water, it had to be expensive, plastic-bottled water. Tonia recalls working in the kitchen of her family’s restaurant and using bottled water to cook and make tea because the tap water was unsafe. These early experiences left a lasting impression and inspired her to take action.

So, Tonia founded AguaEmpowers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to clean drinking water around the world.

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To help address the urgent need in her hometown, AguaEmpowers partnered with Sawyer to form a humanitarian partnership, receiving 100 Sawyer MINI Water Filters to bring clean, reliable water directly to the people who needed it the most.

From California to China: AguaEmpower’s Journey of Compassion

Together with 50 volunteers from AguaEmpowers across California, Tonia packed sanitation kits that included Sawyer MINI Water Filters, translated instruction manuals in both Mandarin and English, and heartfelt, handwritten notes. Tonia led her volunteers to learn basic Mandarin characters to write messages of encouragement, love, and connection to the children receiving the kits, turning the project into more than just a distribution effort. It became a moment of cultural exchange and human solidarity.

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With 100 filters packed in her luggage, Tonia traveled to Shouchun Middle School in Hefei, China with two goals:

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The first was to distribute the Sawyer MINI filters to students and their families. For many, it was the first time they had ever held a tool that could guarantee safe drinking water for years. Each Sawyer MINI can filter up to 100,000 gallons of clean water, offering a sustainable, long-term solution and freeing families from the dependence on plastic bottled water. 

Here’s the math: China’s estimated per capita consumption of plastic bottled water is 79.9 liters. That means that per year, each resident consumes 159.8 plastic bottles of water (0.5 liters each.) So, considering all 100 students impacted, we’ve avoided roughly 15,980 plastic bottles!

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The second goal was to educate the students on water scarcity around the world. It is crucial to spread awareness about the root causes of water pollution and plastic consumption in order to address these issues in the future. The presentations taught students how plastics break down into microplastics, which we eventually consume through water sources. This reveals the extraordinary power of the Sawyer MINI filters they received, as they are capable of removing 100% of microplastics from water.

The presentations also explained the negative health effects of drinking contaminated water over long periods of time. For example, it can lead to diarrheal diseases, liver and gastric cancers, neurological disorders, and more. Students gained a deeper understanding of why drinking clean water is essential for their physical and mental well-being. 

Creating Real, Measurable Impact

Thanks to the partnership between AguaEmpowers and Sawyer, students at Shouchun Middle no longer have to question whether the water they drink will make them sick. With Sawyer’s support, what started as Tonia’s dream became a life-changing project for an entire community.

Visit aguaempowers.com to learn more and follow along with Tonia and other volunteers as they dedicate themselves to helping others access clean water across the world.

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