Trailblazer Foundation's mission is to improve health, food security, education and economic development in rural Cambodia. Our first priority is the health of our partner villages in Siem Reap Province. Our health program focuses on providing wells and water filters to families, and constructing latrines to help improve a family's overall hygiene. In 2018, Trailblazer will drill 80 wells, at $320 each. An international travel company provides funding for 60 wells. Public support funds the rest.
Water-borne diseases are the greatest threat to human health in Cambodia's Siem Reap province. Typically, rural villagers get their water from deep holes dug into the ground. These traditional pit wells are filled by rain, and by run-off from surrounding fields, which often contain animal and human feces. So, it's no wonder the villagers get sick. These water-borne diseases are most easily combated by providing access to abundant, clean water. Trailblazer starts by drilling real, deeper wells.
For Trailblazer, providing access to clean, healthy water includes both digging wells to access water, and constructing and delivering bio-sand water filters to purify the water (both surface water and well water, the latter of which is cleaner than surface water, but still not always safe to drink). Trailblazer provides each family who wants one with a well and a water filter. Also, rural villagers typically use the well water for their gardens, which improves a family's food security.
Most people are aware of the direct connection between good health and the ability for a person to prosper. In most developing countries, it is as simple as children being able go to school when they are healthy, and parents having enough time and energy to work in the store, the home, or the fields. In 2018, Trailblazer plans to drill a new well for 80 families. With an average family size of five people, 400+ rural villagers will directly benefit from our well drilling activities.
