BreathWell:
Youth for Occupational Lung Health
BreathWell is a youth-led nonprofit organization dedicated to improving occupational lung health in China. Founded during my high school years, the initiative began with small patient visits in Nanjing and has since grown into a network of more than 200 volunteers spanning students, doctors, community advocates, and media partners. Our mission is simple yet urgent: to turn public attention into sustainable safeguards for workers suffering from pneumoconiosis and other dust-related diseases.
Over the past three years, we have organized dozens of home visits, coordinated medical equipment donations, and supported families with legal and financial guidance. We raised over ¥10,000 through community fundraisers and mobilized hundreds of people through a 600km relay run for World Lung Health Day. Beyond direct aid, we have produced three short documentaries to amplify workers' voices, bringing their struggles into public conversation. BreathWell exists to ensure that awareness does not vanish with a fading headline but is translated into resources, standards, and policy. For us, volunteers are the oxygen that keeps the movement alive.
“ I enjoy practicing calligraphy, finding tranquility in the flow of ink across paper. I also love street dance, which brings a kind of joy that comes from liberating myself to the rhythm of music. Additionally, I delight in painting, using colors to capture fleeting moments of life. These passions allow my world to hold both a serene stillness and a vibrant intensity. ”