Safe Water
When we first arrived in Cambodia the statistic that haunted me was the 1 in 7 children would die before their 5th birthday. This has thankfully risen, but is still horrifying at 1 in 15. One of the major reasons is waterborne disease.
Many families have no access to safe drinking water, and very little knowledge about the effects of drinking contaminated water. With few waste management systems a complicated problem becomes a nightmare in the wet season.
HUSK has provided more that 200 water filters in villages. Providing the filter though is the easy part. Families need education about why the filters are important, the dangers of drinking unfiltered ground water and ongoing follow up visits. Change takes time and this is where our community support team star. We visit each family every three months, we check the filter, and ensure its being used. We also undertake follow up education with the family and help encourage them.
