Pure Earth

How do you stop a problem you can't yet see clearly? In much of the world, the basic facts of childhood lead exposure remain unmapped: where the lead comes from, who is most affected, and how it moves through food, soil, and water. Closing that gap is some of the most urgent work in global health today.

That's the idea behind the Pure Earth Opportunity Fund, a new mechanism to support strategic, short-term projects that advance our communal understanding of lead poisoning prevention, interventions, and policies.

Out of 190 applications from around the world, we selected eight organizations for our 2026 cohort, each receiving a 12-month grant. Their projects span continents and approaches, from analyzing lead in fish, staple foods, and cookware, to mapping environmental hotspots and tracing regional lead trade routes.

Over the next year, their findings will deepen what researchers and policymakers understand about how lead reaches the people most at risk, and what it takes to stop it.

Learn more from our blog: https://www.pureearth.org/opportunity-fund-2026-cohort/

Meet Lucila Huanca, a member of the Women in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Network of Madre de Dios.

Working alongside Pure Earth Peru, Lucila is driving meaningful change through the adoption of clean gold practices, reforestation initiatives, and circular economy principles, rooted in a lifelong connection to her community and the land.

Her leadership serves as a powerful testament to the role that innovation and environmental commitment can play in transforming the artisanal mining sector.

Watch Lucila's story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKqM5u6asQU

Women Who Shine: Lucila Huanca Lucila is the leader of the Playa Marta mining concession in Madre ...

Parents and families are on the front lines, making decisions without the information they need. Pure Earth is working to close that gap.

When Sofi enrolled her daughter, Dawi, in Indonesia's first national blood lead surveillance study, she joined 1,600 children under five tested across 12 districts and 6 provinces. The findings were sobering: 1 in 7 children tested had lead poisoning. A crisis, real and largely unmeasured, until now.

Pure Earth's approach didn't stop at data. Community health workers were trained. Homes and household products were tested. And critically, families received individualized counseling, learning where lead hides in a home, and what they could do about it

"Protecting a child isn't only about giving love," Sofi said, "but also about keeping the small world around them safe."

Watch Sofi's Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFxQ-jK4OUo

This month, you can help us reach even more families. Now through June 30th, your gift is matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $50,000. Give today at: https://give.pureearth.org/give/477446/ #!/donation/checkout

Sofi’s Story: How Blood Lead Testing Protected Her Children Sofi's daughter Dawi, along with 1,600 other children under five ac...

This , we're sharing what a healthier environment looks like for children in Indonesia.

Last year, Pure Earth Indonesia, in partnership with Indonesia's Ministry of Health and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), completed the first phase of a landmark Blood Lead Surveillance pilot, testing 1,617 children across six provinces to understand the true scale of lead exposure in the country.

1 in 7 Indonesian children has a blood lead level above thresholds for intervention. Common sources like metal cookware, paint, and children's toys are putting families at risk. These findings are alarming and galvanizing.

This research is now driving national policy. The government is moving toward a National Action Plan for a Lead-Free Indonesia. Communities, health workers, and cross-sector agencies are aligning around a shared goal.

This is what Pure Earth does. We follow the data. We build the evidence. And we work with governments to turn that evidence into lasting protection for children.

Read the full story: https://www.pureearth.org/blood-lead-surveillance-pilot-results-drive-national-lead-exposure-mitigation-in-indonesia/

Blood Lead Surveillance Pilot Results Drive National Lead Exposure Mitigation in Indonesia - Pure Earth Lead exposure mitigation efforts in Indonesia have just made significant progress in 2025. As part of the Strengthening Health Systems to Reduce Lead Exposure project, Yayasan Pure Earth Indonesia in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), an...

Lead poisoning is invisible. Children rarely look sick, and by the time they do, the damage is severe. Before any government can protect its people, it needs to know where the danger is and what to do about it.

With support from generous friends like you, Pure Earth's local teams empower government officials with the data and expertise to stop toxic lead exposure.

One example: In April 2026, Pure Earth trained 12 national experts from Ethiopia's Environmental Protection Authority, Ministry of Health, and Food and Drug Authority in toxic site identification. The group then visited an abandoned battery recycling facility in Gelan district — where soil tests came back at 424,500 parts per million of lead. That's more than 42,000 times the EPA's hazard threshold for children.

In the coming months, these experts will assess four Ethiopian cities, 15 communities, and 10 market sites. For the first time, Ethiopia has the trained people, the protocols, and the institutional knowledge to find lead hotspots and protect communities.

Every gift you make now through June 30th goes twice as far to fund exactly this kind of work, with each donation matched dollar-for-dollar up to $50,000.

Make a matched donation today: https://give.pureearth.org/give/477446/ #!/donation/checkout

Today we welcome George Bruno Akanlu as our new Country Director for Pure Earth Ghana!

He steps into this role with a clear mission to protect vulnerable communities across Ghana from toxic lead exposure.

George is a public health expert, bringing over 15 years of leadership experience in strategic program management and implementation of large-scale development programs. Please join us in welcoming George to the team.

Learn more about George: https://www.pureearth.org/pure-earth-ghana-appoints-george-bruno-akanlu-as-new-country-director/

Lead poisoning affects nearly 1 billion children worldwide. But it's preventable, and right now, your support can go twice as far to help protect children from lead exposure.

We're launching our Spring Match Campaign, and we have exciting news: two donors have generously committed to match every gift dollar-for-dollar, up to $50,000.

That means every dollar you give now through June 30th doubles its impact, protecting children and families from toxic lead exposure, expanding education and outreach, and building healthier communities around the world.

Double your impact today: https://give.pureearth.org/give/477446/ #!/donation/checkout

In Madre de Dios, Peru, a group of women miners is transforming the artisanal and small-scale mining industry by adopting sustainable, mercury-free technologies.

Our new video series from Pure Earth Peru is spotlighting these inspiring women, starting with Evelyn Celadita, a miner leading efforts to improve sustainability and reforest land in the Amazon damaged by pollution.

Watch Evelyn's story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmt9gIt-xPE

Women Who Shine: Evelyn Celadita In Madre de Dios, Peru, Evelyn Celadita leads a mining concession and is part of AMATAF, an association of artisanal miners working toward responsible, mercu...