Balang Commune, Prasat Bakong, Cambodia
Health Initiative: Red Filters
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. Our goal is to expand this project to every villager in Balang, giving access to the full 9,000 members of the community in 2007.
$45.00 can purchase a single long-life filter and ensure that three to five families have access to clean and safe drinking water for a generation.
All donations are tax-deductable under IRS Section 501(c)3. Donate securely via PayPal
Photo Gallery Red Filters, Aug-Dec 2006
Please contact HT@HumanTranslation.org with any questions about this project.