Clean Water, Bright Futures: A Better Life for Khanpi

Lalor is located on a mountaintop along the Vietnam border. The area experiences rainfall almost all year round, keeping the weather cool throughout the year. It is a remote village, and the roads to get there are quite difficult. If it rains heavily, traveling becomes impossible. People must walk because the roads become slippery and dangerous due to the mountains and cliffs.

Because of this isolation, people living in this area face many challenges in their daily lives, such as a lack of clean water, no electricity, and no phone signal.  In addition, the constant rainfall damages crops and causes them to die. The local language is not the standard language, and people cannot access education due to the long and difficult journey. 

“More critically, we suffer from diarrhea, epidemics, and malnutrition, especially among children. The main water source from the village is about 3-5 kilometers away, and the people who collect the water are women and children. Open defecation has caused diarrhea and other diseases among the villagers, especially in children,” Khanpi shared.

Ms. Khanpi, 26 years old, has one daughter. She is a farmer, and she has 5 members living in the house, including her husband, mother, father, and daughter. Her family is one of those facing challenges in their community, located in Samoui District. Ms. Khanpi is cheerful, friendly, and full of energy in her work. She is also a capable and talented person. 

She is the only woman in the village who has completed vocational education, and she wants to improve the community where she lives. Because of this, Khanpi has become an inspiration to women and children in her community. 

She is also one of the people who benefited from the SNAP Project’s water system. Khanpi said, “Before, our village faced many difficulties, such as accessing clean water.  It was very difficult.  The women and children had to fetch water from the stream, which was about 3–5 kilometers away from the village.  We had to collect water 5–6 times a day to have enough for household use. Drinking unclean water that had not been filtered or boiled, along with open defecation, led to various diseases and malnutrition in children. Also, marrying, having children at a young age, and living with traditional beliefs and misunderstandings made things more difficult."

The SNAP project provided water systems to her villagers. They installed the water counter with a pipeline system to supply water to every household, along with latrines. "I am very happy that my family and the people in my community are living better lives and improving our homes. More importantly, we now have clean water for our homes, which helps reduce the heavy workload for women and children who no longer have to travel long distances to fetch water. We can now move forward with new hope towards a brighter future,” Ms. Khanpi said.

The SNAP project staff works closely with the government offices and relevant development partners to provide knowledge about hygiene and sanitation, teaching how to prepare nutritious meals, proper child-rearing methods, and the importance of delaying marriage and childbirth to the community.

"I can see that my family and community have changed for the better in many ways. Our health has improved, especially for the children, who no longer suffer from diarrhea as they did before—thanks to access to clean water. People no longer defecate in public spaces, and they now drink boiled water and use clean water for their daily needs. Every household has latrines and water tanks, ensuring hygiene and sanitation. As a result, malnutrition among children has significantly decreased and is now nearly nonexistent," said Ms. Khanpi, a respected representative from her village and an inspiring role model for her community.

In addition, Ms. Khanpi also added, “The support from the SNAP project has not only benefited my family, but also the people whose lives have improved and become stronger through the leadership of World Vision and the Government. Even though the project has ended, we will remain committed to continuing activities that support the well-being of our community. We aim to pass this on to the next generation for a better future and continued development, and we hope to have the chance to meet again. Most importantly, we would like to thank the donors — “You are the ones who have brought light into our lives.”