Overview

Our partners work in the hill country of Thailand near the borders of Laos and Myanmar. The ethnic minority hill tribes live where cultivation of the opium poppy and drug abuse has contributed to families living in poverty for generations. This project seeks to improve the health of villagers by providing access to clean water and sanitation facilities in ten villages over three years. Poor water and sanitation is one of the factors that keeps these families in poverty due to ill health, especially amongst the children.

Why support this

Through empowerment, raising the standard of living and building awareness of a changing society, we can encourage the long-term integration of the tribal groups into economic and social mainstreams so that families can become permanently settled and economically stable. In addition, project personnel will continue to follow-up for three years after completion of the project. If other needs are identified, such as schools, health clinics, micro-loans and coffee production, our partners will help facilitate this process. Villagers will have buy-in by providing labour and sharing in the expense of materials and supplies. All villagers will receive training.

Budget

Year 2 - $44,000. This is a 3-year project which totals $148,000. Year 2 funding includes village water systems for three villages (stream catchment, storage tank, cement pvc pipe, cement/sand/rock/charcoal filtration), bathrooms and gardens for the families and training.

Expected Life Change

• Having the energy and time to carry out daily chores and make a better income to support families.
• Proactively maintaining the water systems to ensure decades of clean water.
• Village Water Committees will engender a sense of purpose and collaboration.