A Reason to Hope

Mothers in developing countries often face great hardships. Candice Jaques shares the story of one Cambodian mother who, in spite of extreme poverty, has found a reason to hope.

In some ways, Soa Phanny’s life is not unlike that of many 33-year-old mothers in Australia and New Zealand. She rises each day with the aim of caring for her family, striving to meet their needs and working to run a home. But, unlike most 33-year-old Australian or New Zealand mothers, Soa’s life is filled with the challenges of extreme poverty—poor access to clean water, very little income and low social status because of her gender, to name just a few difficulties.

Soa lives in a rural village in Cambodia with her husband, four children and mother.

Her oldest child, a 13-year-old daugh ter, has Down syndrome and requires extra care. Her seven-year-old daughter attends the local school, while her sons, aged five years and 18 months, are still at home. Soa’s husband produces and sells sugar-palm juice, which is used by rural farmers to feed animals. Her 67-year-old mother provides as much help around the home as she can.

One of the primary needs of Soa and her family is access to clean water.

In most developing countries such as Cambodia, women contribute a large share of agricultural and household labour, which means water collection is almost always the responsibility of women and children. In these countries, collecting water for household needs can take hours every day, with many having to walk to and queue at water points far from home. The time spent collecting water means that women and children often cannot participate in educational or income-generating activities.

In Soa’s village, one of the most reliable sources of water is a man-made pond located on the grounds of the village Buddhist temple. With an entire village sharing from one open water source, the potential for the spread of disease is high and Soa and her family often struggle with water-borne illnesses like diarrhoea and worms.

In addition to the time taken to collect water, families face the challenge of being unable to meet daily water needs, simply because they cannot carry more.

To make sure their daily consumption needs are met, families often forgo hygienic practices such as washing.

Soa’s family struggles with contagious skin conditions such as scabies and impetigo, which could easily be avoided through washing.

A few of the families in Soa’s village have dug bore wells closer to their homes to provide greater access to clean water. But without the right equipment and expertise, they have been unable to dig deep enough and, in the dry season, the wells dry up.

In spite of these extremely challenging circumstances, Soa and her family have reason to hope. Since 2006, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has been working in their village to provide better access to clean water. In partnership with ADRA Australia and ADRA Netherlands, ADRA Cambodia has been able to work with the members of Soa’s village to install two additional wells.

In the rural communities of Preah Vihear and Pursat, ADRA Australia is supporting the installation of wells, toilets, water storage tanks, water collection pipes and gutters to improve community access to clean water.

Water supply resources are also being installed in schools, to provide better water and sanitation facilities for children and community members.

Soa and her family are pleased to have new wells and more than 100 families in their village are also benefiting.

But more work needs to be done. Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world, with more than eight million people living in rural conditions just like Soa’s, not to mention the millions of others around the world who cannot access resources we take for granted. Your ongoing support of ADRA’s work means that women like Soa can access better opportunities for the health of their entire family.