Cambodia

Meet Nuonh

The people of Preah Khae village used to look up at the stream sparkling on the side of their mountain with envy. Their only water source was several kilometers away, and it took hours out of every day to go back and forth. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they could use the water from the stream?

Now they can. Thanks to The Lutheran World Federation, supported by your gifts to ELCA World Hunger, the stream no longer flows into the ground, but into a concrete reservoir at the bottom of the mountain. Underground pipes carry the water into every house in the village.

Sam Oun of the village development committee says that the villagers could hardly believe their eyes when the water was connected to their houses. “This is the biggest achievement of the year in our village,” he says.

“I love the tap water,” says Nounh Rahn. “It is easy to use, cleaner than the water from the lake, and we save a lot of time.” The plentiful water made it possible for her to plant and nurture a productive vegetable garden for the first time. “Previously, I spent 2,000 riels a day (about 50 cents) buying vegetables from the local shop. Now I have my own vegetables to eat.” She grows more than her family needs, so she sells the rest at the market for a small profit. The new water source has made a big difference for the people of Preah Khae.

Your gifts to ELCA World Hunger support The Lutheran World Federation and programs and projects that help change lives in more than 60 countries around the world. A gift of $250 could help support an irrigation canal project like the one in Cambodia.

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