Physical Health Cambodia Project #14107

Clean water for hundreds of villagers in Cambodia

by Trailblazer Foundation

Clean water for hundreds of villagers in Cambodia

Project Report | Mar 21, 2017
2017 Winter Update

By Chris Coats | Executive Director and Co-Founder

Staff explains use of a water filter to villager

Trailblazer Foundation prides itself on helping Cambodian villagers, and more broadly entire villages, move from survival to sustainability. For Trailblazer, this process starts with community water projects. From our thirteen years of experience, Trailblazer knows that providing a water filter to each family that wants one is the first step toward the sustainability of that family and its members.

It is our strategy in 2017 to complete this process for two villages – Kok Kak and Kbal Krapeu villages, both in Siem Reap province (Trailblazer’s area of focus). In each village, there are 35 families that want a water filter, but haven’t received one yet. Given an average family size of five, we will be helping improve the health, and thus the quality of living, for 350 people in Cambodia.

Distributing water filters is a major part of Trailblazer’s work in our Health program (along with drilling wells and building latrines). We focus on these initial steps because, as the Buddha once said, “Without health, life is not life; it is only a state of languor and suffering.” This truth explains why Trailblazer Foundation’s first priority is the health of our partner villages. If a family is to move out of poverty, they need to be healthy enough to pursue their other basic needs: food, education, and economic opportunities.

Clean water and latrines tie Trailblazer’s work into a worldwide health strategy known as WASH. WASH stands for "Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene," a group of interrelated public health issues which are the focus of many international development organizations. WASH programs are widely considered to hold great potential for improving health, life expectancy, student learning, gender equality, and other key benefits. These are the same benefits Trailblazer seeks to provide our village partners through our comprehensive rural community development strategy. And that strategy starts with clean water.

To that end, Trailblazer collaborates with our Cambodian affiliate, Trailblazer Angkor, to track which families want a water filter and/or well, and which families have received one. Not all families want a well, as they already have a water source. Through this “mapping” process, Trailblazer knows there are a few villages where we are close to providing all of the water filters that village wants.

In the case of Kok Kak and Kbal Krapeu villages, with another 35 water filters each, Trailblazer will have supplied these life-affirming products to every family who wants one.

I wish to say a sincere "thank you" to everyone who has contributed to this effort, either as a donor or a volunteer. Your generous support is what makes this change possible.

Water filters in transit to a village to install

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Dec 21, 2016
Why Ana Paid For A New Well in Cambodia....

By Tom Skeele | Communications and Development Director

New water filter for a rural Cambodian family

Recently, a new contributor to Trailblazer Foundation, a musician named Ana who lives in the United States, donated $220 dollars, the cost of drilling a new well for a rural family in Cambodia. Accompanying the contribution was a note Ana had written, explaining why she chose to support Trailblazer. Ana wrote:

"I wanted to help with a water well so that people had clean water, and I read on the internet about different charities that did this. I checked them, and yours was highly rated. I do not have much money, but I wanted to do this... and when I had the money, I did it. I also chose you because I went to your website and was impressed with how much good you can do, and because I could get someone a well with $220. I pray that people will benefit from this. Continue your awesome work. Merry Christmas! Ana"

Ana is one of a number of first time donors who made a year-end contribution to Trailblazer Foundation. Notably among these new supporters, we received a $1,470 contribution from the Rotary Club of Scarborough (a coastal suburb of Perth, in Western Australia) to help us drill more wells, and construct and deliver more water filters.

In all, during 2016, Trailblazer Foundation constructed and distributed 450 water filters, and drilled 100 new wells. These products directly benefited 2,750 rural villagers in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province (one of the country’s three poorest provinces).

In 2017, we plan to continue these efforts – our most well-known activities – at their present levels. However, given the hard work of the field staff of our Cambodia partner organization, Trailblazer Angkor, we will likely surpass our goal of 450 water filters, and 100 new wells in 2017.

A rural Cambodian family with their new well.

Links:

Trailblazer Foundation website

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Dec 12, 2016
Year end update

By Chris Coats | Executive Director

Pull pump well

Each year, Trailblazer Foundation directly benefits the lives of thousands of rural villagers in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province. By “directly benefits,” we mean that our products and services positively impact the lives of the individuals and families who received them.

"The two most important things Trailblazer provided were the school, and clean water and wells. Sras Village did not have a school until Trailblazer came. Now, many of the students who started at the school Trailblazer built are starting high school. The village health has also impraoved noticeably. Before they had no clean water. Now they have clean drinking water, and better sanitation. Trailblazer also helped initiate the Village Fund, which is still going, and is very successful. The families are better off financially. Most used to eat just one meal a day, now they have three. All these improvements are thanks to Trailblazer." Suy Kin, former chief of Sras Village, the first village Trailblazer collaborated with in 2005.

We at Trailblazer Foundation must admit, it feels great to read Suy Kin’s words about how our efforts have helped the people of Sras Village make their way from survival to sustainability. During the last eleven years, we have supported more than fifty villages in Cambodia’s Siem Reap Province.

In 2016, Trailblazer constructed and distributed 450 water filters, and provided a water filter and hygiene training for those families who acquired a water filter. Given that one family each uses a water filter, with an average of 5 people per family, through our 450 water filters, in 2016 we directly benefited 2,250 people. Trailblazer also drilled 100 wells. With each well serving one family, and with an average family size of 5 people, our wells directly benefited 500 people.

Although our first focus is to address basic needs, to provide access to and clean water, Trailblazer is unique in that we offer a comprehensive package to raising villagers from subsistance living to one of sustainability.

I wish to sincerely thank everyone who participated, either as a volunteer or donor, in making these thousands of recipients' lives better in 2016. We could not do this important work without your generous support.

Bio-sand Water Filter

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