53-year-old Mdm Sarah is a widow who lives in a wooden house with her two grandkids and elderly father at the Meakh Muy village, Cambodia. Her spouse passed away three years ago. Mdm Sarah grills bananas to sell in the village as a subsistence income.
Due to poverty, her daughter, whose children are currently living with her, migrated to Thailand for work.
Mdm Sarah shared, “I am now in a difficult situation. I cannot even afford to buy decent meals. Furthermore, I need to support my grandchildren’s education.” She added, “My daughter, who migrated to Thailand, constantly sends me around $100 each month, but this amount is insufficient to cover the whole family’s expenses.”
In the past, Mdm Sarah had to routinely fetch water from a traditional dug well near her home. Carrying water daily caused problems for Mdm Sarah and her grandchildren. The water well was built a long time ago and had been in poor condition.
“Previously, I used a bucket winch to pull water from a ditch near my home. However the well dries up during the dry season, so I had to dig water from my neighbour’s well instead,” Mdm Sarah explained.
Now, Mdm Sarah and her family’s lives have changed for the better with a completion of a Hybrid Water Well.
Mdm Sarah is overjoyed that she no longer has to haul water from a dug well, or beg her neighbour for water, now that she has received a new hybrid water well from Global Ehsan Relief Cambodia.
“This new Hybrid Water Well is very convenient. Whenever I need water, I will just press the switch on and the water will flow out automatically. If there is a power outage, I can pump the water directly,” Mdm Sarah explained.
“My grandchildren can bathe comfortably before going to school. I’m also not worried about them unintentionally falling into a dug well anymore,”
Mdm Sarah, Widowed grandmother living in Cambodia
“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Global Ehsan Relief Cambodia and all donors for installing a Hybrid Water Well for my family. May Allah S.W.T. have mercy on you and your family from this world until the Akhirah,” Mdm Sarah expressed sincerely.
Today, 22nd March is World Water Day! Celebrated annually on this day, it became an UN observance day in 1993 as a means to focus attention on the global water crisis.
20 years on, the global water crisis is still happening. This year, the focus is on accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis.
You can play your part and help families like Mdm Sarah by building a Water Well, Ablution Place or even a Community Water Well to give rural communities a sustainable access to clean water!
