Visit to the «Clean Water for the People» Association

When Dr. Philip Robinson, the president of the Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital Foundation, asked us if we’d like to accompany him to an NGO focused on clean water and hygiene just outside Siem Reap, we immediately agreed. On a Monday afternoon, we drove with him and Prof. Dr. Chhun for about half an hour to a small village in the countryside.

As soon as we arrived, we saw a group of people waiting for us in front of a bright blue house. We were warmly welcomed by the founder, Kurt Stüssi, and his staff and invited into the air-conditioned house, where we first received a presentation about the organization and its projects to date.

The organization “Clean Water for the People” was founded in 2019 by Kurt Stüssi of St. Gallen after he encountered many families in Cambodia who had neither access to clean drinking water nor adequate sanitation facilities. An estimated five million people there still lack adequate sanitation. Furthermore, according to UNICEF, about 30 percent of people in rural areas do not have reliable access to safe drinking water.

The association’s goal is to improve these people’s living conditions in a sustainable way. Since its founding, the organization has implemented around 500 water and aid projects and supported approximately 10,000 Cambodians. In addition to building wells, water points, and toilets, the organization is also active in the areas of hygiene education and social support. For example, families in particular need receive chickens so that they have long-term access to an important source of protein through the eggs.

After the project presentation, we went out into the afternoon heat to visit some of the wells and sanitation facilities. There, we met a family of five who receive only 12 U.S. dollars a month from the social welfare system. This is clearly not enough to live on. They make ends meet, among other things, by gathering fruit from the ground and reselling it. Recently, the association provided them with a well, a biosand filter for water treatment, and a toilet. Another aid organization also funded a small house for them.

We then visited a newlywed couple whose home consisted solely of a simple wooden frame with palm leaves for walls. Living conditions there are likely to be very difficult, especially during the rainy season, as the dwelling offers little protection from wind and rain.

During our time at the children’s hospital, we repeatedly encountered children who had become seriously ill due to contaminated drinking water. These were often severe gastrointestinal infections, which—especially in young children—can lead to chronic diarrhea and, as a result, severe malnutrition. Access to clean drinking water and functioning sanitation facilities is therefore one of the most effective preventive measures there is. It not only improves the quality of life for the families affected, but also prevents disease and, at the same time, reduces the burden on the healthcare system.

We were particularly impressed by how much can be achieved with relatively modest resources. With about 555 Swiss francs, a family can be provided with a well, a biosand filter, and a toilet—an investment that sustainably transforms their living conditions.

Warm regards from Siem Reap

Daphne and Christopher