Families in the Battambang Province, Nikhom Kinom Village are visited by Church World Service (CWS) to asses the needs of the local people. Most say that food is their biggest need and that their children suffer from malnutrition. CWS provides sanitation and hygiene education sessions to explain why a lack of food isn’t the only cause of malnutrition. They discuss the health risks associated with open defecation and teach families how clean latrines limit malnutrition. Beneficiary families receive rings to construct a hole, a commode, and construction materials from CWS. The families are responsible for the enclosure materials and labor to build the latrine.
Battambang Province Nikhom Kinom Village
The Chhum Soy Family, in partnership with Church World Service and local ground support team, RDA, is the beneficiary of a clean latrine and water filter.
CWS makes regular visits to their beneficiary villages to assess the needs of the local people. The villagers continuously say that food is their greatest need. They feel a latrine is secondary to food because hunger causes malnutrition. They do not understand the effects of contamination from open defecation or the associated health risks.
CWS has since implemented sanitation education sessions to explain the health risks associated with poor sanitation and hygiene. The communities are learning how contamination from open defecation creates skin disease and internal stomach complications that contribute to malnutrition.
The Chhum Soy’s neighbors, the Aem Soem Family
This family has no land of their own; the government owns their parcel of land and allows the family to live there. The Soem family did not have access to a latrine or clean water and because they do not have their own land they were not able to farm and grow their own food. CWS provided this family with a latrine and a water filter to improve their conditions.
Church World Service provides the materials and labor needed to dig a hole to create a latrine. It is the family’s responsibility to find materials and create an enclosure As the caregiver in the family, Mrs. Soem saved money and found scraps locally to build the structure for her new latrine. Now the Soem family has a water filter and a clean latrine from their partnership with CWS. They are able to meet their basic needs and provide for their children.
Health Center Director, Hh Vuth
This health center is where pregnant women come for their check-ups. They are also able to use a clean latrine while at the facility. Many women walk miles from their villages to use the facility because they do not have access to a latrine where they live. CWS helped repair the health center’s latrines.
Lan Sot, 37 and his wife are having a new latrine constructed at their home. CWS provided the construction materials, including the rings to build the hole, and the family provided the labor to build the structure. They now have a dignified location to relieve themselves.
Prak Sim of Sra-aem Khang Tboung region in Northern Cambodia
Sim’s family is receiving a new latrine. She has saved enough money to provide the labor for construction and materials for the enclosure. Church World Service provided the building materials and construction equipment. Before having her own latrine she used to defecate in the nearby field. She didn't feel great having to be exposed while relieving herself. One day, while defecating, she saw a snake moving towards her and had to run away mid-cycle. She gave an embarrassed laugh and said, “things like that happened all the time and it was horrible”.