Why work in Cambodia?

4.5 million (27%) people in Cambodia don’t have access to safe water ²

3.86 million (23%) people in Cambodia don’t have access to adequate sanitation ²

2.85 million (17%) people in Cambodia don't have access to basic hygiene facilities ²

Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia and is still recovering from the genocide carried out by the Khmer Rouge regime. Many rural communities we work with rely solely on agriculture as a source of income. Climate change has created severe droughts followed by extreme flooding, which along with a lack of infrastructure has hindered development. Nearly half of the population lives in poverty.

Cambodia has high rainfall and is prone to flooding, so although there is groundwater, much of this is contaminated and dangerous to drink. WASH solutions in Cambodia address these issues of water contamination and storage; while increasing sanitation facilities. 

² WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme 2023 report (based on estimates on the use of water sources and sanitation facilities)

What We Do in Cambodia

We work with village communities in rural areas around Siem Reap to build and repair shallow hand-dug wells, and provide biosand filters, latrines, and hygiene training. We ensure that villages have a sustainable source of water which is protected from contamination. Read an overview of our work in Cambodia here.

Visit our Project Map to explore our individual Cambodian projects or read below to see what we've been up to...

Our Projects in Cambodia

Kting, Pong Toek, Stoeng, & Tropeang Tuok Villages

Completed: May 2023

In four villages in rural Cambodia Just a Drop provided clean water, sanitation, and hygiene for over 2,000 people. We installed 160 biosand filters, 142 household latrines, and comprehensive hygiene education. The villages have seen a huge drop in water related illnesses, especially among children who are now able to attend school without constant absence due to sickness. Families have also seen an increase in their quality of life as less money has to be spent on expensive medical bills from treating water related illness. 

Lieb Village

Completed: November 2022

In Lieb Village we provided access to water, sanitation, and hygiene for all 671 members of the community. This project involved the installation of 107 biosand filters to provide safe water for the whole village. We also installed 82 latrines, as previously Lieb had only had a few functioning latrines, forcing most of the population to practice open defecation, which was both dangerous and bad for hygiene. This included one double latrine at Lieb Chas Primary School, which previously did not have one. Comprehensive hygiene training followed.

Mrs Eat, a resident of Lieb Village, said "If we did not have a water filter and live in a clean environment, my family would still be sick, and the condition would have been worse". 

Toul Kralanh

Completed: May 2022

Prior to Just a Drop's work, 77% of the Toul Kralanh's 1,664 residents did not have access to a latrine. In addition, the only available drinking water was from a well contaminated with iron and E.coli from human and animal waste. Both these factors led to very high rates of illness in the village. Just a Drop's project installed 234 biosand filters and 50 latrines in Toul Kralanh, whose population now has a sustainable supply of safe water, as well as adequate hygiene and sanitation facilities. This has naturally led to a far healthier community, who no longer has to take significant time off from school and work due to water related illness.