CLEAN DRINKING WATER
Since 2013 Fides supports the community in Tapeam, Cambodia to help its residents to get access to clean water. Until now, Fides was able to contribute to the construction of ten wells. The community itself takes cares of the maintenance and repairs. In addition, the local agriculture is benefiting from the wells, as it relies on consistent watering. Without the financial support from Germany, the project will not be feasible.
Shortages of water are a serious problem in Cambodia. In rural areas, only one third of the population has access to clean drinking water. Sanitary facilities are only available to one fifth of the population. Due to the climate change, drinking water even becomes rarer. The rainy seasons are more intense, but drought periods last longer.
The consequences are very severe in Tapeam as well as in many other areas. Wells and ponds are empty before the rainy season starts. To get access to water, the community has to buy it out of town, which means high costs and long delivery times. Furthermore, more than two thirds of the locals are dependent on agriculture. The community suffers from low yields, as there is a lack of rain. The longer the drought periods last, the shorter the time span in which the agricultural fields are fertile. Many residents leave their communities during this season and search for work in the construction industry or gastronomy in Phnom Penh or neighbor countries.
The new wells of Fides in Tapeam currently supply more than 100 families directly (approx. 650 persons) with drinking water. The wells are 35-45 meters deep and cover not only the daily drinking demand, but also the yearly demand of local small scale farming. Water reservoirs assure that there is always enough water available, even during drought seasons.
Before the community received the new wells, many people became sick because the water quality got worse in recent years. Especially children suffer from diarrhea due to that reason. The new wells possess water filters and since then, the residents report a much lower ratio of sick people. In addition, the community is holding hygiene workshops, where the participants are taught how important cleaning hands before having meals is.
To construct the wells, the people I Tapeam need financial support. The locals already elected a committee to support the construction of new wells and to maintain them in future. A well for ten families costs approximately 470 Euro, of which 400 Euro Fides is providing. Fides’ goal is to build more wells to support more families to get access to clean drinking water. For all donations, the community is showing their acknowledgements by placing a name board on the wells.
After a visit of our members Helen Hüttl and Judith Gampe in the respective community, Fides is also supporting the equipment of a library of an elementary school. In 2014 Fides supported the renovation of the building and the provision with traditional, but also modern children books. The school would like to invest in a TV with DVD player to display educational movies and is happy about every donation to achieve this plan.
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