CLEAN WATER FOR CAMBODIANS

We're fighting disease in Cambodia by installing water filters and teaching villagers about health and hygiene

What is the need?

Would you risk the life of a loved one by handing them a glass of water swarming with disease? Many villagers in Cambodia do it everyday; some because they're unaware of the risks, others because they have no effective way to filter what they're drinking.

How do we help?

Samaritan's Purse responded to this problem in Cambodia in 2006 by installing more than 1000 water filters in villages where the need was greatest. Our Community Health Education program also trained villagers on health, hygiene and clean water, teaching them how they can prevent water-borne disease and how water filters can help. The results are measurable: now these communities are seeing a decrease each year in water-borne diseases.

How it's changing lives:

Mrs Mom Siev, a 41-year-old widow, is a farmer who lives with her son and daughter. Before her water filter was installed, her family suffered many diseases by using unclean water. For her, the high cost of medicines and treatments, plus being unable to work, was forcing her family deeper into poverty. Now that she's received her new water filter, she says her family has clean water, and everyone is in good health and able to work so they can enjoy a better living standard.

Mrs Ong Yorn, a 50-year-old farmer, and her husband Keo Sopheap, live with their son and daughter. In the past, she says, the whole family relied on rainwater or water they had to pump and boil over a fire. It was difficult to find enough wood for the fire, and sometimes they had to buy it. Since it took so much time (and money) to find wood and boil the water, that at times they had to drink it without boiling it first, which caused many illnesses. She's very happy to have received her water filter from the CHE program, and says it's easy to use and provides plenty of water for cooking, cleaning and drinking. She adds that now her family feels safe and confident, and not worried about water-borne diseases anymore.