Clean Water

Potable water is a massive issue in rural Cambodia, and its absence causes countless deaths and illnesses every year. Waterborne illness is one of the most common causes of death in Cambodia. Water problems throughout Siem Reap mean inadequate water supplies to meet daily household needs. Under 5% of the rural population has access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

Boiling water by burning wood is the most common way local people purify their drinking water, but this method has its own intrinsic risks. Deforestation due to logging companies has made kindling and firewood scarce. Generally, the only

areas where logging has not taken place are areas that still contain active mines and unexploded ordinance left over from Cambodia’s bloody civil conflict. Many years after the war has ended, Cambodia still remains one of the most heavily-mined countries on earth. The casualties of war are now poor rural men, women and children, unlucky enough to seek firewood in the few places left they can find it.

As a joint venture with HRND and the Trailblaizer Foundation, Human Translation initiated the Red Filter Project in Balang Commune, in an attempt to bring safe drinking water to the community's thousands of inhabitants. Dozens of these high-capacity concrete water filters have been installed around the areas most affected by water quality issues. Through an educational presentation, our trainings teach how to make these filters last 20 years with minimal maintenance. We will ensure water safety, and improve the lives of the hundreds of individuals with access to them.

Health Services

While HT's efforts have been focused on our long-term strategy for lifting the community out of poverty, we have been exposed to many of the symptoms of poverty that have grown into serious problems for many families.

Scabies is an infestation of the skin with the microscopic mite Sarcoptes scabei. Infestation is common, found worldwide, and affects people of all races and social classes. Scabies spreads rapidly under crowded conditions where there is frequent skin-to-skin contact.

In the communities of Balang, Scabies is a problem which compounds with no treatment, and over time can lead to secondary infections causing scarring for life. HT was first introduced to this problem through the orphans and students in the local Pagoda, who had contracted it simply from sharing clothes and bedding. Children are especiall susceptible to the disease, and if they do not receive treatment, it can become a seriously frustrating and painful long-term problem.

HT, with help from the Angkor Hospital for Children, began a campaign to wipe out scabies from the local community and train local medical staff to deal with outbreaks. We have supplied anti-scabies medication, clothing, and antibiotics to combat the infection and infestation, and continue to fight the disease village by village. We have found several thousand members of the local community who have come in contact with the parasite.

We have successfully implemented a strategy of eliminating scabies from the local community, coupled with an education project to help people understand how to deal with it over the long-term.

Fisheries