CLEAN WATER INITIATIVE
Osmach, Cambodia
Partner - Kids International development Society (KIDS)
The Situation
The primary school in Osmach, a small Cambodian town on the Thai border in Samraong Municipality of Oddar Meanchey Province, has over 700 students and teachers who live and work in the area. Health care in the countryside is very poor as the communities live a long distance from clinics or hospitals and if they do not have transportation it is extremely challenging to receive health care. The families in this area are very poor so most families cannot afford medicine or health care. The school did not have clean drinking water so children must either buy clean drinking water or drink water that is contaminated.
Many children suffer from diarrhea, which is a major cause of children’s illnesses. “One in three Cambodians uses water from a non-improved drinking source, which means they do not hygienically separate human waste from human contact” 81 percent of the poorest rural Cambodians practice open defecation (UNICEF). Children continue to suffer illness and death from water-related causes because they do not have access to clean water.
The Challenge
KIDS has built many clean water systems for schools and communities in Cambodia. The tools and equipment needed are not complex, and are available. With a reverse osmosis filtration system, storage tank, pump, and PVC piping, a clean water system can be built quickly.
The Result
Providing children and families with clean drinking water changes lives and saves lives. Building clean drinking water stations provides clean water daily, which significantly improves their health, hygiene and their energy. The families can come daily to fill containers to take clean water home for drinking, improving the lives of hundreds of more people.
