Thankyou Water

Cambodia, officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. With a total landmass of 181,035 square kilometres (69,898 sq mi), it is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the northeast, Vietnam to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest.

Recovering from decades of internal conflict which has plagued an entire generation of Cambodians, development has been largely focused on restoring basic infrastructure in this country. While development has largely focused on urban regions, this has meant that the rural areas (which the majority of the population still reside in) have become somewhat neglected.

Lack of safe water and adequate sanitation is one of the biggest local issues affecting the health of children across Cambodia. Many communities have poor access to safe drinking water while encountering numerous health issues resulting from poor sanitation since communities are not always aware of the importance of good hygiene.

Rates of access to latrine and hand washing facilities in Cambodia is among the lowest is Southeast Asia. The principle sanitary option for up to 70%, or 10 million of those residing rural Cambodia is still open defecation. Poor sanitation and hygiene practices have led to high rates of diarrhoeal disease. 20 percent of deaths in children aged 5 and under, can be attributed to diarrhoeal disease from unsafe and unclean water/food sources.

Aside from diarrhoea, poor water quality resulting from contamination also leads to skin disease, intestinal as well as various waterborne diseases, all of which have significant negative impact on the health of children, the most severe cases leading to death. Arsenic, in particular, is naturally occurring and has no taste or smell, yet leads to a number of irreversible health outcomes, of which include skin lesions and changes in pigmentation, as well as being capable of leading to cancer of the skin, lungs, bladder and kidney.

For the people of Cambodia, it’s not only the difficulty of accessing the water, but the process of protecting the sources from contamination as well monitoring and regulating in efforts of sustaining the water is also a challenge. This is where Thankyou Water can make a difference.

Thankyou Water is currently working with our project partner in educating and empowering our beneficiaries to play a part in ensuring the sustainability of the water solutions and hence better health outcomes. Currently, we have funded Biosand Filters which filter out harmful pathogens from their local water sources, while also funding wells which provide a safe, constant and accessible water source for these rural communities.

Decades of conflict within Uganda have resulted in damaged infrastructure and social services, especially in rural areas.
Because of these political and social conditions, many Ugandan people have an ongoing fear of reencountering hostile conflict.
As a result, a sizeable number of the population now reside in transit or displacement camps instead of returning home or resettling. These camps not only provide safety but also food, shelter and water.
However, the supply of safe water in these camps is extremely limited.
Statistics show the national average number of people without access to safe water in Uganda is an estimated 33 percent. In most cases, the use of unsafe water creates a high likelihood of contracting diarrhoeal diseases. The result of this is that approximately 26,000 children under the age of five die every year die from these kinds of diseases that are preventable.
To prevent this widespread sickness and death, Thankyou Water has worked with our project partners in Uganda to ensure that safe water is provided to vulnerable populations within these camps.

Statistics sourced from:
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/uganda_statistics.html
http://www.wsscc.org/countries/africa/uganda/wash-coalition-overview

Myanmar is located in the south east region of Asia and is bordered partly by 1,930 kilometres of uninterrupted coastline. Despite the fact that Myanmar is itself a resource rich nation, it remains underdeveloped with 32% of its population living in states of poverty.
Recently, political changes have signalled reform and change in Myanmar which has historically been run by a state-led, military political party. Recent changes to legislation has also meant that the Myanmar people are experiencing political freedoms (such as being able to discuss and share personal opinions about the government -that we here in Australia take for granted) for the very first time in their generation. In fact, many would have heard of Myanmar because of the extraordinary work of a particular individual, Aung Sung Suu Kyi who was instrumental in the creation of these new political reforms.

The city of Rangoon, Myanmar’s largest city, is home to 11% of its entire population. The majority of the people in this region receive piped water as their primary water source. This water, originating from four distant reservoirs and tube wells located around the city, is transmitted to roughly 60% of Rangoon’s residents through a series of out-dated pipelines.

In rural Myanmar, many are reliant on communal ponds, hand dug wells and household rainwater harvesting systems as their primary water supply. Those that source their water solely from man-made ponds are particularly vulnerable to loss of access to water, especially during the drier seasons.

The harmful effects of Cyclone Nargis in 2009 caused damage to the already lacking state of infrastructure, and led to the introduction of saline into various water supplies. In its aftermath, according to the 2009 Period Review conducted in the areas affected, 76% of those surveyed use unimproved water sources and 32% did not sufficiently treat their water. It was further understood that 71% of the surveyed households used cloth to filter their water, and that would be their sole form of water treatment.
Therefore, Thankyou Water is currently funding projects providing Biosand Filters to rural communities which aim to provide these beneficiaries with sufficient water treatment and sanitation solutions.

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in the northern Indian Ocean off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia. Known until 1972 as Ceylon, Sri Lanka has maritime borders with India to the northwest across the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait, and the Maldives to the southwest.

While Sri Lanka is on track to meet its Millennium Development Goals, there is still a wide disparity for safe water coverage between the urban and rural areas. Statistics show that the urban sector has 95% coverage whereas coverage in the plantation regions is only 58%. Within the northern regions, only 40% of the population have access to safe water as many travel several kilometres for water.

Furthermore, due to the ongoing resettlement of survivors from the civil war back into their rural communities - this has compounded the existing issue of water scarcity within rural Sri Lanka.

Nationally, only 37% of the population receive piped water supply, and 95% of the urban population make up for that proportion, while over half of the piped water connections are in the Western province.

Over a thousand schools around the country have no toilet or handwashing facilities, affecting an estimated million children. Sanitation facilities in rural areas remain not well kept as they are often determined to be too costly to service (such as implementing traditional sewerage systems in low-lying areas).

Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator. With the Indian Ocean to its south-east, it is bordered by Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, South Sudan to the north-west, Ethiopia to the north and Somalia to the north-east.

A disputed presidential election and an increasing volatile solution in neighbouring Somalia (which the Kenyan army are involved, in trying to restore order to that region) has resulted in attacks from extremist, militant groups and the loss of their economic stability (inflation being a major concern).

Once regarded as a ‘success story’ among African nations, Kenya has access to 536 kilometres of the Indian Ocean coastline and its ports currently serve not only its people, but also bordering landlocked neighbours such as Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

Despite the relatively steady growth of its economy, over half of the Kenyan population still live below the poverty line, less than one US dollar a day. Limited safe water sources and sanitation facilities are a growing issue. More than 15 million citizens of Kenya, which incorporates over half the rural population, are without any access. This situation is worsened following years of drought.

There was a time when corruption, lack of investment, and ambiguity regarding the frameworks surrounded the process through which water was delivered to the Kenyan people. These inefficiencies led to the eventual establishment of the Water Act.

The Kenya Water Act was established in 2002. It outlines the regulations that relate to the management and use of water resources as well as placing emphasis on adequate sanitation practices. It also encourages the involvement of stakeholders as well as the community members throughout the process of establishing acquiring and the delivery of the water solutions.

Worryingly, rates of access to safe drinking water are currently lower than when it was over a decade ago in 1990. Therefore, the need for sustainable water solutions remains a major issue among the community, especially those living in rural areas.

To combat the water needs in Kenya, Thankyou Water is working with our project partner on the ground, and together with the help the local community - work to incorporate water solutions into communities where water scarcity has become a critical issue.

Thankyou Water focuses on rural communities, where infrastructure is not developing at the same rate as their urban counterparts as many villages struggle with issues of water scarcity and unsafe water sources on a daily basis. To date, Thankyou Water has funded Water Pans, Water Storage Containers as one of the main needs is adequate water coverage (reliable water source) in these rural areas. Thankyou Water is and has also funded Biosand Filters which are an important tool in ensuring that the water collected (which are contaminated) by these rural communities is safe to consume and use for all their daily needs.

Burundi, a country located in central Africa is bordered by the countries of Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

According to UNICEF, it is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with an average of 294 people per square kilometre and consequently one of the poorest countries in the world.

One of the major contributing factors to Burundi’s lack of growth in the area of water supply is mostly due to the civil war and its aftermath. The civil war swept across to neighbouring Rwanda (which included the infamous 1993 Rwandan Genocide) and caused widespread destruction in Burundi’s social, political and health services. While a ceasefire agreement was eventually reached after nearly a decade (infighting still exists within certain areas of the country), the social and health sectors are still recovering from the effects of the conflict.

Compared to other Sub-Saharan countries, Burundi ranks above average for access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation facilities. However, development has slowed with figures showing only a two per cent point growth for sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation for the period of 1990 to 2008.

While Burundi is fortunate enough to have with a relatively high level of surface water due to its topography and longer than average rainfall, it lacks the infrastructure to transport this water safely to communities that need it.

Burundi also has one of the world’s highest mortality rates for children under five, with the most common cause of death being diarroehea contracted through unsafe water.

Thankyou Water together with our project partner is working in the Rutegama Commune, located in Muramvya Province. These remote villages have limited technology and skills in which to access safe water. To combat this problem, gravity water and rainwater harvesting systems are currently being implemented in these communities.

(Reference: World Vision Australia)

Timor-Leste remains one of the least developed countries in the Asia Pacific region, currently ranked 147 out of 187 countries according to the 2011 UNDP Human Development Index.
While Timor-Leste has made progress in health indicators over the last decade, development and improvement is still needed with statistics showing:

-Malnutrition rates are some of the highest in the world (approximately 58 per cent of children under the age of five show signs of chronic malnourishment
-Life expectancy is low by regional standards (60.5 years for females and 58.6 years for males)
-Maternal mortality rates (370 / 100,000) and infant mortality (54.8 / 1000) rates also remain high
Additionally, a 2010 census found that 66 per cent of the nation's population had access to an improved water source but this is drastically reduced in communities further from the capital, Dili.
The program run in conjunction with our project partners in Timor-Leste targets the three remote and vulnerable districts of Lautem, Baucau and Manatuto. This project aims to implement four rainfall and gravity-fed systems, which provides safe and accessible water points for people living in these regions.

(reference: Red Cross).

Covering approximately 3.3 million square kilometres, there is an estimated 1.2 billion people living in the sub-continental country of India.
While there has been significant growth within India’s economy which has translated into numerous socio-economic gains over the recent years, India still remains a country with vast inequalities.
Access to safe water remains a serious issue with over 320,000 children under the age of five dying each year from diarrhoea-related illnesses. The Worldbank estimates that approximately one third of the total population survive on under US $1.25 per day and just over two thirds live under US $2 a day. Only 30 per cent of the country has access to adequate sanitation facilities.
India is also a nation prone to natural disasters. The Assam region (Thankyou Water project area) is particularly affected by flooding with over 40 per cent of its land considered as 'flood prone' areas. This is due to geographical factors (basin of the eastern Himalayas) and monsoon rain, as well as inadequate infrastructure to protect communities from the rainfall.
While the Assam region possesses adequate supply of water, most times the quality of the resource means it is not safe to drink. The majority of villages in this target area collect their water from shallow sub-surface tube wells and hand-pumps which often become severely contaminated during flood season. In addition, contamination commonly occurs during transportation of the water from the source to the household.
Excessive flooding also affects other aspects of the community. Flooding means that villages become more remote and isolated (in one district in Assam, sadly only 165 out of 790 villages are linked via motorised roads). Economically, flooding poses a significant threat to the communities livelihoods due to crops and agricultural produce being destroyed by soil erosion (90 per cent of the population of Assam depends on agriculture as their main source of income). When flooding occurs, the chances of water-borne diseases being spread are increased due to open defecation still being practised in these communities.
The project that Thankyou Water is funding aims to address the needs of these remote and isolated communities. Solutions include building raised water pumps wells (protected water sources even in cases of flooding), storing water in rainwater harvesting tanks as well as portable filters (can be moved when flooding occurs). The project also focuses on educating these communities in health and hygiene practices through public health and hygiene training.