Clean Water produces brighter futures

In many parts of the world, clean safe drinking water is a luxury. Without clean water, many people become sick by drinking and using contaminated water. The water shortage can be the result of drought, flood, pollution, or other catastrophes.

The search for water is a chore that often removes children from classrooms, resulting in children, especially girls, missing out on the education they need to grow strong and become contributing members of their communities.

But, having access to clean water is more than a luxury. It can be the key to healthier communities, more education for children, and better food when water is available to grow gardens.

In a rural community in Cambodia, the only water available was from a shallow, hand-dug well. Each day during the rainy season, a grandmother named Som Bee would walk to the well to collect the water for her family. But the water from the well was unclean, sometimes leading to health problems.

The community was able to address the unclean water problem by installing a ring well. The members of the community received training on how to filter the water, and to keep it clean for daily use.

The well resulted in less people in the community being sick.

Today, Som Bee is grateful for clean water. She is able to use clean water for her garden to help grow tomatoes, pumpkins, spinach, gourds, cucumbers and mushrooms. She and her family eat the vegetables and have a healthier diet! In fact, her garden is so bountiful, that she is able to sell some of her vegetables in her local community, earning money to support her family and buy other items that they need.

Your support has reached 16 villages in central Cambodia with clean, safe water. And like Som Bee and her family, they have a better life.