Water for Health in Pu Char Village

It's hard to imagine how hard it must be for rural Cambodians to access clean water for daily use. In our everyday lives, it is so natural to just turn on the tap and run fresh water, that we can use for all our needs.

Can you imagine how hard it must be to carry water from the river located far away from your home? We need water for drinking, but also to bath / sanitation, to clean your home, for cooking, feeding your animals, for growing vegetables. Meeting all these demands will result in carrying a heavy water bucket for many return trips. If you could see the water quality of the Mekong river, you would understand why so many of the families, including their children are often very sick. The water is extremely unclean, containing effluence, bacteria, dust, insects and pollution.

This was the life for the 70 indigenous families living in the Pu Char village before CRDT began its "Water for Health" project, funded by the Australian Government and your donations.

As an update on our last report, in regards to Mrs. Pheap and her husband, who are both farmers in the village. They are now using the water for not only their household consumption, but also for the growing of vegetables. CRDT also continues to provide Sanitation and Hygiene training to improve the health situation amongst the indigenous communities.

Mr. Hong Chak is a 56 year old farmer, who has a wife of 53 years, and eight children. His family income mostly depends on agriculture activities, especially growing vegetables and selling at the local market.

After CRDT implemented the water supply project to the 70 families in his village. He was given the opportunity to attend many training courses ,such as primary health education, ecological chicken raising, community lead total sanitation, skill training and vegetable growing." He is happy with the water supply project, with his household being connected to the water system'. Mr Chak said, As, he is a farmer, he can see that the benefits of having access to fresh water isn't just about household usage. He has been able to build a vegetable garden at the back of his home, which has flourished with access to the water supply.

He can now earn $9 USD per day from selling his organic vegetables, in addition this also provides sufficient produce for his family’s needs. This has given Mr. Chak great confidence in his ability to grow his own produce.
He explained, " Water is life for us here, as we live in a rural ingenious community, previously we had very little ability to generate our own income or live a healthy way of life. The training received on primary health is so important to me and my family, this has helped reduce the money burden required when going to hospital.

This project aims to improve the health and economic situation for the Indigenous families living in the Pu Char village, through providing fresh clean water to all. The main aspect of the project has been achieved thanks to your participation, but there is work still to be carried out. Some of the houses in the village have not yet been linked to the water system, it is also highly important to provide the necessary training, which is currently pending. Your donations will help contribute towards implementing this training, and all the reading materials required to raise awareness amongst the community. In addition, some toilet and sanitation facilities still need to be built. Your contributions will greatly change the lives of these people forever!

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