A Boy Runs Home

In 2011, flooding affected 18 out of 24 provinces in Cambodia, and forced many schools to close. Prey Tamoa primary school is one that faced a lot of difficulties.

“After the flood waters subsided, my school compound was very dirty and it was surrounded with plastic bags and other residue,” says Mus Samay, Prey Tamoa primary school director.

Built on school land, the hand-pump wells were damaged. Children who come back to school contracted diarrhoea from the dirty water that filled the wells.

According to Mr. Mus, students always took a small area behind the classroom to openly defecate because the school did not have latrine and the students did not know the bad effect of poor hygiene or sanitation.

Sy Nareth, a student in grade 6, said that last year he always ran back home when he needed to use the toilet because it smelt so bad behind his classroom.

Through a European Commission of Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) funded project, World Vision equipped the school with one latrine and a borehole well that can be used in times of flooding. The project also cooperated with Provincial Department of Rural Development to build capacity on water sanitation and hygiene practices to students, teachers, and the school committee. 

“Through my observation and reports from teachers in each classroom, 91% of children have good health as they always wash their hands with soap before eating and after using latrine, take boiled water from their house to drink, and use latrine for defecating”, Samay explains.

Nareth, a student who always ran home to use the toilet, says it is much easier nowadays since the school has clean water, a latrine and small hand washing basin.

“I learnt about hygiene and sanitation from my teacher who was supported by World Vision, and I always practice it”, Nareth boasts.

World Vision’s ECHO project aims to improve hygiene and sanitation practices of more than 186,000 families affected by flooding across Cambodia.