Construct water wells for Cambodian villages

Since our last report in June 2018, the wet season in Cambodia has prevented us from doing any further work apart from researching highest need villages for the next batch of Wells. We plan to establish 12 wells this coming season and expect them to be drilled in 2018 and finalized in early 2019. Our program approach tells us that up to 1000 villagers from the most drought prone and remote areas of rural Cambodia will benefit from the fresh and potable water those 12 Wells will provide.

Given we haven’t settled on a cluster of villages for the coming season, we thought we could use this report to revisit the stories and responses of Getting Well communities we’ve worked with in the recent past.

The UN World water development report 2018 states “more than 5 billion people could suffer water shortages by 2050 due to climate change, increased demand and polluted supplies adding stress on rivers, lakes, aquifers, wetlands and reservoirs.”

Diminishing water supply is obviously not good news for the majority of poor Cambodians living in rural areas and underscores the continued importance of serving water stressed communities through the Getting Well program.

We hope you are moved by these memories and also inspired to join us to provide water to some of the most vulnerable and underserved communities on this earth. Thank you!

33-year-old Chun (pictured above far left) has been carting water on her shoulders nearly two miles, twice a day, one in the morning and once in the afternoon for 13 years! And tells us, “I was 20 when I first started carting it when my parents were too old to cart water after which the job fell to me.”

Mrs Deng Touche and her two children and one foster nephew live in Trapeang Mnas village, Dong Tung Commune, Dong Tung District, Kampot Province.

“I’ve noticed my family are having less health problems since we have clean water from the new well. Earlier my family suffered stomach ailments such as diarrhea and typhoid. Since receiving hygiene education and access to better quality water, my family members are healthier than before, and my nephew attends school more regularly these days.”

55-year-old Ang (pictured below carrying water) tells us, “I’ve been carrying loads of water every day of my life since I was a girl. It is very, very hard, I cannot tell you how hard my life has been (due to lack of water).  I get up at 6am and carry loads of water till I have to make lunch (around 11am) I cover the bucket with leaves so the water doesn’t splash out. I feel pain in my chest when I carry heavy loads. The muscles and tendons around my neck are permanently damaged.

56-year-old, Ngor, confirms Ang’s testimony; “I’ve also carried water in the same way, every day since I was 16, some 40 years!!!  My shoulders are numb; I have no feeling across my shoulders anymore."

A third woman, Sevran, 56 year of age, tells us with tears in her eyes, “I’ve also been carrying two and three loads of water over 5kms, two buckets either side of a bamboo yoke, every day since I was married.”

Lotus Outreach believes easy access to safe, clean water is a fundamental human right. These stories of extreme hardship remind us access to clean water from a tap is a great privilege that many in the developing world do not share. Life is already tough for poor rural villagers and having to haul water and deal with bacterial infection and otherwise preventable diseases like typhoid, impacts negatively on family income, health and children’s education.

With help from our donors, Lotus Outreach has now changed life for the better for more than 10,000 poor Cambodians through with 74 pump wells providing access to clean, safe, water. Please join us in our mission to benefit thousands more as we reach for our goal of 100 wells!

According to the most recent data from UNICEF, approximately 22% [1] of the total population in Cambodia lack access to safe water. With approximately 80% of Cambodians living in rural areas, poor access to safe water and sanitation disproportionately affects its rural communities.

In the beginning of June, we travelled from Phnom Penh to Kampot to visit six completed Pump Wells established in 2 communes, Doun Yay, and Kraing Sbouv of Chhuk District, Kampot province. At least 102 households are now benefitting from the Wells, consisting of 316 (149 women) people including 122 (65 girls) children under 18 years, as well as 7 persons with disabilities, 4 of those being female.

June is the beginning of the wet season and the wells were completed during the month of April. All the 6 wells gave up water at a depth of around 47 to 50 metres (164feet) and provide between 2 and 3 cubic metres of clean, potable water per hour.

Lotus Outreach has now implemented 74 pump wells that are changing the lives of more than 10,000 village Cambodians across several provinces of Cambodia.

We asked some of the villagers we met at the site of the new well to tell us what it means to them to have fresh water nearby and some of the stories were simply amazing.

33 years old Chun has been carting water on her shoulders nearly two miles, twice a day, one in the morning and once in the afternoon for 13 years! And tells us, “I was 20 when I first starting carting it when my parents were too old to cart water after which the job fell to me.”

We asked her what she felt about having access to clean water right at her doorstep. A huge grin and sheer delight on her face told us everything as she brought her hands together with a huge thank you!! Chun has two small children in grades 2 and 4. Earlier water had to be conserved as it was simply too precious to use for anything but fundamental needs. Now with fresh water at hand Chun and her children will now enjoy a clean bath and a fresh smelling change of clothes everyday!!

There were plenty more stories to come. One woman from the same village had been carting water since the time of the Khmer Rouge in 1979! Another 69-year-old woman had been carting water for great distances since she was 15!

A life like theirs is simply unimaginable for those like us that have always had a house full of taps providing access to water 24x7 and as certain as that is the fact the lives of several hundreds of villagers that now have access to clean water close to home have changed dramatically, for the better. 

Thank you for changing the lives of thousands of Cambodians.

[1] https://data.unicef.org/topic/water-and-sanitation/drinking-water/