Cambodia is a Buddhist country that was completely destroyed by the Khmer Rouge Genocide and the 20 years of civil war that followed. Unlike its neighbors in South East Asia, Cambodia is a country where a majority of the population still struggles for daily survival.
Over 30% of the population earns less than 0.50 US cents a day. The economic disaster is combined with one of the most corrupt government in the world and the result is that Cambodian people suffer from inadequate and insufficient basic services such as water and sanitation facilities.
Children are the hardest hit by the absence of Water and facilities. Over 50% of people living in Cambodia are under the age of 25. In Cambodia, 1 in 7 children die before the age of five from preventable diseases such as typhoid, malnutrition, malaria or dengue. The common denominators in many of these illnesses is that they are waterborne.
Access to quality water remains one of the biggest challenges in Cambodia. While the few existing sanitation systems are concentrated in the cities, the country still faces a lack of appropriate infrastructures as well as frequent misuse of water and sanitation supplies. According to a survey carried out in 2004 regarding access to improved drinking water sources, the coverage is only at 35% in the countryside (64% in the cities).
In 2008 GEcsn decided to tackle the problem financing partner' projects related to water and sanitation issues.
Objectives
To provide access to water and sanitation facilities for vulnerable children in remote rural areas of Cambodia
To provide access to safe and good drinking water
Results
49 public schools and 3 residential centers (13.550 among students, disabled and street children) have benefited from the building and/or renovation of:
- 4 deep wells
- 2 water tank
-19 toilets and hygiene facilities
-200 water filters have been provided
In 2010 GEcsn will continue supporting water and sanitation project aimed to reduce water related illness among vulnerable children and facilitating as much as possible access to safe and drinkable water.
