Clean Water Project

The Problem - The need for clean water in Cambodia

One of the most pressing resource issues facing rural villagers in Cambodia is a lack of clean drinking water and the good health practices that go with it. According to the Cambodian Inter-Censal Population Survey (CIPS) of 2004, only 40% of the rural population has access to safe drinking water (National Institute of Statistics, Ministry of Planning: Cambodia Inter-Censal Population Survey 2004, General Report) Currently, villagers and residents of remote areas drink from pools of standing water or from streams and canals. In both cases, the water is contaminated with bacteria and polluted with waste. Additionally, this water is a potential breeding ground for many water-borne illnesses. This problem intensifies during the dry season when water levels recede and residents must seek water, usually by foot, from more distant locations.

Illnesses caused by stagnant dirty water and the consumption of this water have devastating effects on the lives of the villagers. “According to the 2000 Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey (CDHS), for every 1,000 babies born in Cambodia, 95 die in their first year, leading to one of the highest infant mortality rates in Southeast Asia” (Department of Planning and Health Information, Ministry of Health, the Reproductive Health Association of Cambodia, and PRB: Children in Cambodia Face High Mortality Rate). Two of the three most deadly illnesses affecting children are malaria and diarrhea which can both be directly linked to unclean water (Department of Planning and Health Information, Ministry of Health, the Reproductive Health Association of Cambodia, and PRB: Children in Cambodia Face High Mortality Rate). However, as shocking as these statistics and the direct effects of unclean water can be on health, especially of children, the effects of a lack of access to clean water go even further. Levels of education and school attendance are deeply affected by children’s health and their ability to go to school. Furthermore a family’s income is also affected by ill-health. If the main income earner becomes sick the whole family and their health will suffer. Helping to prevent families from being sick by providing access to clean water is therefore the first step to improving education, income and living conditions amongst rural Cambodians.

The need for a village centered approach

When JWOC started putting in clean water wells in 2006, access to water wells in and around Siem Reap was extremely limited. As tourism has increased and more organizations have started to work on the issue of clean water the number of water wells has increased. JWOC’s well scouts have therefore started to travel further in all directions to provide wells to households still in need of a safe and year-round water source. JWOC’s Clean Water project has grown in size and location. Many of the wells put in by both JWOC and other organizations break and need repairs, but frequently villagers are not able to fix them themselves or pay for them to be fixed.

The next necessary step was to fully increase the impact of JWOC’s Clean Water Project. Just having access to clean water through a new or fixed well does not ensure good health. JWOC has added more elements to its Clean Water Programme to ensure the greatest and most sustainable impact. These elements include basic training on the means to ensure safe-drinking water for families, simple hygiene practices and well maintenance. They also include working with one village at a time thus allowing a more thorough response to the needs of the village as well as securing a commitment from the village for their cooperation and continued independent ownership of the project in the long-term. By incorporating the training in JWOC can not only increase the impact of each well that is repaired or drilled but can also provide the villagers with the means to safeguard their own health in the future. Combining this training with a village community centered approach JWOC can ensure that the impact is also increased in terms of time as villagers go on to fix their own wells and are empowered to work together to improve their health.

The JWOC process of helping a Cambodian Village improve its access to both clean water and information about health and hygiene.

Starting in August 2009, JWOC put into place 12 basic steps through which it works with a local community to give them the chance to take control of their health and their future. By collaborating with communities and giving them the resources they need and the information they need to improve their lives, JWOC seeks to empower these partner communities to change for the better. The steps we take with the villages are as follows:

1) Scouting

2) Gathering information / mapping / assessment of need

3) Baseline health and hygiene surveys

4) Contract signing / collecting money

5) Drilling and fixing / maintenance training

6) Specialized training for local leaders

7) Water testing

8 ) Filter training and distribution

9) Hygiene training (hand washing / teeth cleaning)

10) Final GPS mapping and photos of new wells

11) Final checks and follow up health and hygiene survey

12) 6 month impact assessment

To learn more about these stages that we implement with partner villages please click here.

With this comprehensive solution JWOC strives to not just provide clean water, but to make that gift a sustainable change in lifestyle and health.

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